Why Call of Duty is taking over the former home of the Los Angeles Lakers

On Friday, the Los Angeles-adjacent town of Inglewood, California will be overrun with thousands of men and women with split-second sharpshooting expertise. They aren’t soldiers, cops, or bounty hunters — they’re fans of Call of Duty. The second “non-annual” fan conference, Call of Duty XP, will take place at the former home the Los Angeles Lakers, the Forum, throughout the weekend. And while it’s probably too late to book a flight and nab a pass, there are a number of ways to enjoy the festivities from your home.

For details, we spoke with Rob Kostich, executive vice president and general manager of Call of Duty at Activision.

How do I watch the keynote at home?

The event will begin with a keynote speech on Friday at 10AM PST, and publisher Activision has three options planned for live-streaming: Twitch, YouTube, the official Call of Duty page. According to Kostich, the keynote will include “new info on Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (including the premiere of multiplayer), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, and Call of Duty: Black Ops III.”

How do I watch the Call of Duty Championships?

You can also stream the Call of Duty Championships throughout the weekend via Call of Duty Black Ops 3, or visit the Call of Duty World League homepage. The Call of Duty World League events will conclude on Sunday with a $2 million championship match — the biggest prize in the event’s history, according to Kostich. 

What are some of the special events for attendees at the Forum?

Visitors will be the first to get hands-on with new content in Modern Warfare Remastered, Black Ops III, and Infinite Warfare, including hands-on with the new Zombies in Spaceland mode. A live event inspired by the Zombies mode will run through the weekend, along with numerous panels from the franchise’s creators. The festivities will culminate on Sunday with, of course, a concert from Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa.

Why isn’t this event annual?

“The fact is we’re always looking for the best ways to celebrate with our fans and deliver the best possible experiences across all of our activities,” explains Kostich. “This year, it was clear early on that with the CWL Championship taking place later in the year, it presented a perfect opportunity to combine it with the multiplayer reveal of Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare Remastered.  Once we saw how everything was lining up, including the final map pack Revelations Black Ops III, the choice for this year was clear.”

That doesn’t sound like a guarantee that another XP will happen soon. So if you’re in Los Angeles, now may be the time to check it out. Or you can always watch online for the low, low cost of free.