I guess one thing that comes out of a merger of two of the largest gaming companies on Earth is the abliity to cross-polinate brands and events. When I think Blizzard, I think World of Warcraft, insanely long development times, and Blizzcon. If you've been playing Blizzard games, you probably know about the fanfest that brings vampires outdoors for the possibility of some new in-game mounts.
Activision is leveraging all of that event planning for Call of Duty XP, a fan convention focusing on all things Call of Duty. XP 2011 will be two days of all Call of Duty, all the time, in Los Angeles, CA. Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg says:
Call of Duty XP is going to be the ultimate fan experience for Call of Duty fans. A two day, immersive live event for fans of Call of Duty. We think it's going to set a new bar for experiential live fan-based events.
We are constructing a full-scale replica of one of our multiplayer maps as a paintball stadium for fans. We're reconstructing the legendary level from Modern Warfare 2, The Pit, which fans can actually run. You'll be able to eat at Burget Town from Modern Warfare 2.
The event will include keynote speeches, press conferences, panels with developers, all of which will culminate in the "ultimate" behind the scenes look at Call of Duty. 6,000 tickets will go on sale July 19th to the sweet tune of $150 apiece. 100% of ticket sales will go toward the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit Activision created to help veterans. Call of Duty XP will run on September 2nd and 3rd.
[Source]
