Black Ops DLC 'Escalation' date revealed for 360

Microsoft director of programming Larry Hryb, best known as Major Nelson, is reporting that Activision has announced a new Call of Duty: Black Ops downloadable content pack called "Escalation", which will be available first to Xbox Live members on May 3, thanks to the three year exclusivity deal signed by Microsoft and Activision for Black Ops.

Escalation contains 5 all-new maps, including four multiplayer maps and an "epic" Zombies experience with all-new playable characters. The multiplayer maps include:

* Hotel, which is set on the roof of a Cuban luxury hotel and casino against the vivid backdrop of old Havana.

* Convoy, which delivers intense, close-quarters combat at the scene of an ambushed US military convoy.

* Zoo, a level in an abandoned Soviet Russian Zoo, with danger at every turn

* Stockpile, which pits players in a remote Russian farm town housing secret WMD facilities.

* Escalation, which features a unique Zombies experience which will be revealed later.

The PC and PlayStation 3 versions will be released at an unannounced future date.