LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Activision
Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) CEO Eric
Hirshberg kicked the global Call of Duty® fan
community into overdrive this morning when he presided over the
debut of Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3's epic
multiplayer mode, the opening act of Call of Duty XP,
the greatest Call of Duty gamer celebration ever
conceived.
Immediately following the presentation, attendees were turned
loose on the showfloor for two full days of gaming, multiplayer
challenges and one-of-a-kind real-world experiences, all inspired
by the signature action and intensity that has made Call of
Duty one of the most lauded and successful entertainment
franchises ever. The centerpiece of competition is the Call
of Duty $1 Million Tournament
Presented by Xbox 360®, a massive 32-team, single-elimination
battle royale that pits the world's premiere Call of
Duty gamers against each other for a share of the record
$1 million prize purse. The top eight
teams will be in the money — the winning squad will pocket
$400,000 after the grand finale
Saturday night. Call of Duty fans around the globe began
qualifying weeks ago on the record-setting Call of Duty®:
Black Ops for the historic competition.
A colossal 12-acre compound in Playa
Vista, California — where Howard
Hughes famously built the Spruce Goose — has been completely
transformed for XP's inaugural edition. Onsite
activities include:
- A once-in-a-lifetime chance to paintball firefight across a
life-size replica of Call of Duty®: Modern
Warfare® 2's Scrapyard level.
- The opportunity to speed-run the infamous Modern Warfare®
2 The Pit training sequence, for real.
- A live action thrill ride across a sprawling, obstacle-ridden
challenge course in the Jeep® Ops Experience.
- A Call of Duty®: Black Ops military-style
zip-line plunge across the compound.
- One-on-one battles in the raised Juggernaut Sumo ring.
- Rations for sale at Modern Warfare 2's iconic
Burgertown and Nate's Grab N Go food joints.
- A tour of the Call of Duty armory and museum,
featuring concept art, weapons and gear, and memorabilia from the
entire franchise.
Also on tap are appearances by basketball greats Kevin Garnett, Chris
Bosh, Russell Westbrook and
Kevin Love, supermodel Marisa Miller, Stacy
Keibler and actor/comedian Nick
Swardson. Attendees can sit in on developer panels hosted by
Treyarch and Beachhead Studios, plus a special panel featuring
actors from Call of Duty® Black Ops and the
Modern Warfare® series. Each day will be capped by
stellar live performances, including the critically-acclaimed
Dropkick Murphys – known for their complex distillation of classic
punk rock, Celtic folk and American rock 'n roll – who will close
the show's first night. And coming off the release of his
fifth #1 album, the global smash "Watch the Throne," hip-hop icon
Kanye West is set to close
Call of Duty® XP on Saturday night.
Call of Duty XP promotional partners have embraced
this unique opportunity for Call of Duty fan service.
In addition to co-sponsoring the $1
million tournament, Microsoft revealed the new Xbox
360 Limited Edition Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Custom
Console. Sporting a 320GB hard drive, two
wireless controllers and a Bluetooth headset, the collectible
console will launch simultaneously with Modern
Warfare 3 on November
8th. The Jeep® brand thrilled fans with an
exclusive tease of the new 2012 Wrangler Call of
Duty® Special Edition.
Also debuting in November, this custom four-wheeler was
designed with input from Modern Warfare 3 developers.
Mountain Dew gave fans a first taste of the new Mtn Dew Game Fuel
Tropical flavor, which was developed in collaboration with the
Modern Warfare 3 development team. DEW and sister
brand Doritos tortilla chips will offer double XP to North American
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 gamers with every
purchase of specially marked packages starting in October.
Activision and developers Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games
delivered a knockout punch to the thousands of attendees present at
the XP keynote with the reveal of new Modern Warfare
3 features. Strike Packages — including Assault Strike,
Support Strike, Specialist Strike and others — will overhaul the
Killstreak system and create the most balanced and immersive
multiplayer experience ever. The new Weapon Proficiencies
system empowers players to modify their load-out to suit their
individual play-style. User-generated game modes, a universal
player card, loyalty rewards and new game modes like Kill Confirmed
and Team Defender capped a stunning lineup of gameplay
innovations.
These innovations will work in tandem with the Call of
Duty® Elite social gaming platform to dramatically enhance
the multiplayer experience. Launching alongside Modern
Warfare 3 this fall, Call of Duty Elite is
designed to help gamers Play Better Together. Also on display at
this morning's presentation, Call of Duty Elite
delivered detailed stat tracking and performance analytics,
integrated Facebook friend support, clan creation and management,
and a device-agnostic hub for all things Call of
Duty, connecting gamers via console, smartphone, tablet and
web. Users can even customize matches via mobile and push them to
the game remotely — the changes will be waiting the moment they
boot up their console.
Call of Duty Elite features the deepest free
service in gaming. For uncompromising Call of Duty
devotees, the premium annual membership offers an unrivaled level
of integration with the franchise and likeminded hardcore fans. The
premium membership includes a year's worth of Modern Warfare
3 DLC available monthly during the 9-month DLC season,
daily competitions for in-game and real-world prizes, 24/7
competition calendar, clan competition, up to 24 minutes of HD
gameplay video capacity, and the highly-anticipated Call of
Duty Elite TV.
The new Call of Duty Elite TV will offer original,
episodic video programming from top Hollywood talent, including executive
producers Ridley Scott and
Tony Scott. RSA (Ridley Scott
Associates) is working on a new program, Friday Night
Fights, where real life rivals battle it out in Call of
Duty multiplayer. Additionally, digital content and
production studio DumbDumb, led by Will
Arnett and Jason Bateman in
partnership with Ben Silverman's
multimedia studio, Electus, is also working on content for
Call of Duty Elite. The production company is in
development on two new programs, Cocked Hammers and n00b
tube!, both airing this fall on Call of Duty Elite
TV.
And it didn't stop there. All Call of Duty XP
attendees were treated with a redemption code for a free copy of
the limited Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition when it
becomes available, which includes a free year's membership of
Call of Duty Elite featuring all Modern Warfare
3 DLC.
Call of Duty Elite will launch this November with
an all-inclusive DLC premium annual membership for the annual price
of $49.99, less than $5 per month.
Activision will donate 100% of the ticket sales of Call of Duty
XP to The Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit, public benefit
corporation that seeks to help returning soldiers transition back
to civilian life, find work and establish careers. Fans who
are unable to attend or simply want to follow the action, including
the Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer reveal, can do so by
visiting www.callofduty.com/xp. Highlights will also be
posted on Modern Warfare 3 and Black
Ops Facebook pages, www.xbox.com and the Xbox Facebook
page.
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica,
California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading
worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive
entertainment and leisure products.
Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United
Kingdom, France,
Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the
Netherlands, Australia,
South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and
its products can be found on the company's website,
www.activision.com.
About the Call of Duty Endowment
The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit, public benefit
corporation created by Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard.
The organization seeks to help soldiers transitioning to civilian
life find work and establish careers and to assist organizations
that provide job placement and training. For more information about
The Call of Duty Endowment, please visit
www.callofdutyendowment.org.
About DumbDumb
DumbDumb is a digital content and production studio led by
Jason Bateman and Will Arnett. By using their well-known comedic
tone and sensibility, DumbDumb creates and produces brand-inspired
entertainment content that reaches audiences across all forms of
social, digital and traditional media. Their goal is to enhance
traditional marketing and advertising activities, and ultimately
revolutionize the way advertisers connect with their audiences.
With the backing and distribution expertise of Ben Silverman's multimedia entertainment studio,
Electus, and IAC, DumbDumb is a valuable strategic and creative
resource for brands looking to harness the power of entertainment
and humor. For more information about DumbDumb, visit
www.DumbDumb.com.
About Electus
Electus is the first integrated multimedia entertainment studio
to unite producers, creators, advertisers and distributors under
one roof and produce all forms of content for distribution across a
variety of platforms around the world. Headed by Ben Silverman, in partnership with IAC [NASDAQ:
IACI], the company connects advertisers, distributors and content
creators early on in the development process, enabling marketers
and advertisers to be a true partner in campaigns and content
creation. For more information on Electus, visit
www.electus.com.
Call of Duty, Modern Warfare and Activision are registered
trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and
trade names are the properties of their respective owners.
Xbox 360 and XBOX LIVE are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation.
SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.