The DLC is called ‘Content Collection’, and like the one released for PS3 this month, it will feature four multiplayer maps (Piazza, Liberation, Overwatch, and Black Box), and two Spec-Ops missions (Black Ice and Negotiator).

It will be available for $14.99.

Here’s a recap of the content that will be available (this trailer was for the PS3):

In a series of tweets today, Bowling revealed his plans for the future, giving an insight into what drove him to move on. The former Modern Warfare creative strategist said that big budgets are no longer necessary to make “amazing gameplay experiences”, and it was “time to reconnect to our roots” to make these experiences possible.

“Back to back pitch meetings for the last 9 hours. Thanks to everyone who met up today, you’ve made me fall back in love with game design,” he said.

“I’m in no rush. It’s about taking your time, finding something you’re passionate about. I want to fall in love with it again.”

“There’s far too many amazing things happening in our industry right now to be content spending life on just 1.”

“It’s the year of change Dean. Big budgets are no longer necessary for amazing gameplay experiences. Time to reconnect to our roots.”

After a long six years spent with the developer, Bowling made the somewhat surprise exit announcement via his Twitter account without going much in to particulars explaining why he’s leaving the company.

“Today, I resign from my position as Creative Strategist of Call of Duty, as a lead of Infinity Ward, and as an employee of Activision,” he said.

In a statement, Activision commented: “We sincerely thank Robert for his many years of service. He’s been a trusted and valued member of the Infinity Ward team. We wish him all the best on his decision to pursue future opportunities.”

One of Swords reports that the Overwatch DLC, already available to citizens of Xbox Live, will be available on March 29 for all COD Elite subscribers on PS3.

This will be followed by an additional map called Black Box, and two Spec Ops maps called Black Ice and Negotiator, “on or around April 12″.

There is no official word from Infinity Ward or Sony, yet.

According to Activision, Overwatch is “a frantic multi-floor-frag-fest 70 stories up with views to match,” and is “the highest multiplayer map Call of Duty has ever seen.”

As usual with Call of Duty games, the add-on map will make its debut to Xbox 360 players, starting February 21. PC and PS3 players will have to wait a month or so.

According to their calendar, the game is set receive ten new maps, six new spec ops missions and two new online modes. The schedule applies to Elite subscribers only, of course; non-paying members will have to wait their turn to get their hands on them.

- February: New map
- March: New map, two new Spec Ops missions
- April: Two new maps
- May: New map, new Spec Ops mission
- June: New map, new Spec Ops mission, new game mode
- July: Two new maps
- August: New map, new Spec Ops mission, new game mode
- September: New map, new Spec Ops mission

This month’s share of DLC, the new maps called Liberation and Piazza, are now available on Xbox Live. PS3 and PC release follow some time later.

“With the Call of Duty: MW3 Content Season for Call of Duty Elite, we are delivering on our promise of more new content, more often, and with more variety than ever,” said Activision publishing CEO Eric Hrishberg.

The first DLC nugget is planned for Jan 24 featuring multiplayer maps Liberation and Piazza. Four more content packs will be dropped in the first three months of 2012, with at least one more in Jan, one in Feb and two in March. These five DLCs will also be packaged together for the “entire”, non-COD Elite Premium subscribers. The DLCs, including the content collection, will maintain its timed exclusivity to Xbox 360.

Modern Warfare 3 was released on November 8 and has so far earned Activion a billion dollars, despite being the second most pirated game of last year. I can only imagine the Activision executives like this when they read the report.

The trailer, pasted below, shows actors Sam Worthington and Jonah Hill fending off unseen combatants in an overly exaggerated ‘online match’, with the tagline “There’s a soldier in all of us,” punctuating the climax.

[jwplayer config="meg_600px" mediaid="49010"]

“The advertisement trivializes combat and sanitizes war,” he said.

“After ten years of constant war, of thousands of amputees and flag-draped coffins, of hundreds of grief-stricken communities, did nobody involved in this commercial raise a hand and say, ‘You know, this is probably a little crass. Maybe we could just show footage from the game.’”

“As Afghanistan intensifies and we assess the mental and physical damage to veterans of Iraq, is now really the time to sell the country on how much fun the whole enterprise is?” he asked.

“Here I point to the giddy howls of one supposed soldier in the commercial as he fires a grenade launcher at some off-screen combatant. War is great, see? It’s like a gritty Disneyland.”

Summary judgement, from what the Internet tells us, is when a court rules that no factual issues remain to be tried, and therefore a settlement can be had, based on certain facts, without going to trial.

A summary judgement call from the developers was denied as well.

The press release also states that Judge Elihu Berle found that the evidence presented by Activision “supplied a basis” for a jury to conclude that EA, may have in fact, aided and abetted West and Zampella to breach their contracts.

A jury trial in the case will begin on May 7, 2012.

Press release:
Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), announced that the Los Angeles Superior Court has denied a motion brought by Electronic Arts, Inc. (EA) for summary judgment, thereby permitting Activision to proceed to trial on its $400 million contract-interference suit against EA.. At a hearing held yesterday, December 21, 2012, Judge Elihu Berle denied EA’s motion, finding that the evidence presented by Activision supplied a basis for a jury to potentially conclude both that EA had intentionally interfered with Activision’s employment agreements with former Call of Duty game developers, Jason West and Vince Zampella, and that EA had aided and abetted West and Zampella’s breach of fiduciary duties to Activision. A related summary judgment motion put forth by West and Zampella was also denied.

In the suit Activision alleges that West and Zampella breached their contracts and duty of loyalty to Activision by conduct that was insubordinate and otherwise improper and that West and Zampella’s misconduct was caused, at least in part, by EA’s unlawful tampering. A jury trial in the case is scheduled to begin on May 7, 2012.