Call of Duty XP 2011 celebrates community, raises money this September

By Adam Rosenberg Published June 30, 2011

call-of-duty-xp-2011 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Even with the challenge posed by Battlefield 3‘s looming release, Call of Duty is something of an international pastime. Activision is capitalizing on that in a big way in 2011, first with the coming launch of the Call of Duty Elite social network and, as we learn today, in September with the first-ever community celebration, Call of Duty XP 2011.

The event is set to happen over Labor Day weekend in Los Angeles, with “more than 6,000 fans” (according to the press release) packed into a “secure 12-acre compound.” The gathering is all about Call of Duty, specifically Modern Warfare 3, which hits stores on November 8. Attendees will get an early jump on the game’s multiplayer, spending the weekend playing both the competitive and co-op Spec Ops modes. The full version of Call of Duty Elite will also make its debut there, as Modern Warfare 3 will be the first game in the series to make use of all of the service’s features.

The centerpiece for the event will be a $1 million Call of Duty hosted by a partnership between Activision and Xbox 360, the lead sponsor. Players will be able to participate in qualification rounds before the weekend arrive to secure their place in the tournament, though hopeful competitors will also have the opportunity to qualify on-site. Those of us who can’t make it will of course be inundated by coverage of the event on TV and streaming over the web. That won’t be hideously painful or anything, watching thousands of other people play one of the year’s most-anticipated games for two straight days.

Ticket will sell for $150 starting on July 19. 100% of those sales will go to The Call of Duty Endowment, a charity which helps veterans re-acclimate to life away from the battlefield after returning home from a tour. A ticket purchase includes a two-day pass to the event. In addition to the gaming time, Call of Duty XP will also feature “a paintball firefight on a life-sized Call of Duty map,” a real-life re-creation of Modern Warfare 2‘s “The Pit” training area, discussion panels and an on-site armory for fans to gawk at.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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Gameplay from Call of Duty: Warzone mobile

Activision may be under new ownership at Xbox, but that’s not slowing down its flagship series. After a few years in development, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is finally launching worldwide under the Microsoft banner. It’s a major moment for the shooter series that’s endured multiple industry changes over its long lineage. The new mobile game is the latest evolution for Call of Duty, bringing a high-quality battle royale experience to phones.

The importance of that evolution isn’t lost on Chris Plummer, the co-head of mobile at Activision. In an interview with Digital Trends ahead of Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile’s launch, Plummer painted a picture of how much has changed in the game industry since Call of Duty Mobile launched in 2019. An industry-shifting war between Epic Games and Apple, an enormous acquisition that’s turned Xbox into a mobile king, and a gradual shift in the general attitude towards mobile games -- all of that has led to this moment. Plummer believes that the old days of players bemoaning cash-grab mobile games are coming to an end. The industry just needed its killer app; he believes Warzone Mobile could be that game.

Gaming

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Gameplay from Call of Duty: Warzone mobile

Activision's popular battle royale game Call of Duty: Warzone is making the jump to mobile in March. Specifically, it launches for iOS and Android devices on March 21.

This is a separate game from Tencent's Call of Duty: Mobile, which is currently available on the App Store and Google Play Store. Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is made in-house by several Activision teams, including Beenox, Digital Legends, Solid State Studios, and Shanghai Studios. Further signifying that connection is that Warzone Mobile has shared progression with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and the PC and console versions of Warzone. Payers can level up the same weapons, access content from the BlackCell Battle Pass and store, and gain XP on the same account across all three games. Warzone Mobile will also have full controller support, although it will have a virtual controller overlay that's highly customizable.

Gaming

Hogwarts Legacy beats out Call of Duty to become 2023’s bestselling game

A student waving a wand in Hogwarts Legacy.

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"Hogwarts Legacy finished as 2023’s bestselling video game in the U.S. market in dollar sales. It is the first year since 2008 that a non-Call of Duty or Rockstar-developed title ranked 1st (Rock Band)," Piscatella explained on X. "Hogwarts Legacy was the bestselling game of the year on PlayStation platforms, ranked 2nd on Xbox platforms, and placed 5th on Nintendo platforms."