It’s like a mini theme park
Activision doesn’t hold “XP” events very often. In fact this year’s celebration is the second XP ever — it’s far from an annual event like BlizzCon seeing as the first was held all the way back in 2011. So naturally they’d want to go all-out when one does come up.
This one is basically a three-day giant theme park-like fest, held at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Here’s a glimpse.
Most of XP is held outdoors but there are a few exceptions. Every current Call of Duty project is playable in large tents (Infinite Warfare‘s multiplayer, VR, and zombie elements, Black Ops III‘s newest DLC, and Modern Warfare Remastered) all around the perimeter of the Forum concert hall. Peppered in are diversions like ziplining, paint ball (in an impressive re-creation of Nuketown), and (a less impressive) zombie-themed laser tag.
It’s also the setting for the Call of Duty World League Championship inside The Forum, and qualifier and semi-final rounds are held all throughout the weekend until the actual championship event on Sunday, followed by a concert with Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa. I had a chance to sit in on some matches and the shot-calling (Maven is on-site, among a few other announcers) is pretty impressive. I actively play Black Ops III but I’ve learned a lot in my short time here, and I’m looking forward to watching the finals tomorrow.
If you still loathe the idea of playing a Call of Duty game or have sworn off shooters, there’s nothing for you here. But all I’ve seen for the past several days are droves of fans who truly love the genre, and getting to interact with them has been a treat.
