It seems that Call of Duty XP won't be an annual ritual after all. Activision confirmed at E3 that they won't be hosting another Call of Duty fan convention in 2012.
Activision told Joystiq they'll focus their energy instead on Gamescom, the Germany-based convention. I suppose it's tough to organize your own convention while also attending all of the other summer shows. I can't think of any companies off-hand that pull that off. Blizzard manages to hold BlizzCon every year but they rarely appear at any other conventions.
Call of Duty XP was held for the first time last year. It allowed attendees to try out Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer for the first time and gave them a preview of Call of Duty Elite's original programming. The show also featured concerts by Kanye West and the Dropkick Murphys, as well as a gaming tournament and "real-life" Call of Duty challenges. The money raised through ticket sales was given to the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit devoted to helping returning veterans find employment.
Activision hasn't ruled out additional Call of Duty XP convention in the future. With new Call of Duty games arriving every year and series' enormous fanbase, I could see them making it a semi-annual affair. Hands-on previews of the upcoming game would be enough to make fans fork over ticket money.
The next Call of Duty on the way is Black Ops 2. The lack of an XP convention this year means that players may not be able to try out the multiplayer before it launches in November. With any luck, though, Activision will bring some kiosks with them to Gamescom.
cinemablend