Sept. 2 marks the return of Call of Duty XP, a three day celebration for fans of the franchise. But for the first time ever, the event will host the epic conclusion to the Call of Duty World Championship, a yearlong event that started earlier this year in January. 32 premier teams from across the world will compete in Los Angeles for their share of the $2 million prize pool, a record sum for a tournament that debuted back in 2013.Its a watershed moment for the Call of Duty franchise, which has been an early promoter of the esports scene since the very first Call of Duty XP event in 2011. Thats thanks in part to the introduction of the CWL, a structured, yearlong event.While the CWL has had its share of ups and downs in its first season, its a venture that the CEO of Activision Eric Hirshberg considers a resounding success. To give you an example of the kind of effect the creation of a global, yearlong league has done, our qualifying rounds this year were more viewed than our championship rounds last year. To put that into context, our championship rounds last year made Call of Duty the most viewed shooter on console, he said.Hirshberg attributes that success to the players. They give you the momentum of a story: a beginning, middle and end. Those narratives are what fuel an interest in sports. People love watching the best players in the world play the game they love.Unlike other console esports, a new iteration of Call of Duty is released each year. That turnover isnt lost on Hirshberg, who feels the changes add an extra layer of difficulty for the professionals. That makes CoD esports athletes the most elite, he said. Because not only do they have to be the best, but they have to constantly adapt to each new iteration of the game.With Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, along with the remastered version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, scheduled to hit shelves Nov. 4, Call of Duty XP will represent one of the final tournaments to be played on Call of Duty: Black Ops III. That means this could be one of the final times that OpTic Gaming has the chance to face their rival, FaZe Clan, in a LAN event, something that hasnt happened this year.I think a lot of people are looking forward to that matchup, admitted Hirshberg.For the fans planning to attend the event, it wont just be all about watching the professionals, however.We basically created a theme park that leaped out of a video game, said Hirshberg. Weve built full-size versions of maps in the game and will allow fans to play paintball in them. We are going to have a zombies haunted house laser-tag event. We are going to have a virtual-reality exclusive event at CoD XP where you get to fly the Jackal, which is a combat ship in Infinite Warfare. We are going to have zipline missions. Its really like youre living the game.Thats the model for sports, said Mike Sepso, former co-founder and president of Major League Gaming (MLG), who joined Activision Blizzards esports division a little less than a year ago as the senior vice president. Its not just about sitting down and watching the game, its about the whole entertainment experience. I think thats something that XP is going to do really well. The CWL has really been able to make Call of Duty esports look and feel more like traditional sports, and thats going to help us tremendously in terms of reaching a bigger and more mainstream audience. Custom Mecole Hardman Jersey . 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Nick Lowery Jersey . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. Australian Rugby Union [ARU] chief executive Bill Pulver has backed Michael Cheika through to the 2019 Rugby World Cup, saying the Wallabies coach isnt under one bit of pressure despite the teams worst losing year on record.The Wallabies lost nine of their 15 Tests in 2016. It was the first time the team had lost that number of Tests in a calendar year.The 40 percent winning rate was the lowest since Eddie Jones led Australia to a 5-8 record (38 per cent) in 2005.But while Jones was eventually sacked, Pulver says Cheika is not in the crosshairs at the moment.Believe me, Michael Cheika is under no pressure. None whatsoever, Pulver said.Hes the coach through to 2019, and theres no one better to do the job.Im not pleased to have lost nine Test matches. And boy, let me tell you, Cheika isnt either. But there are really encouraging signs in terms of talent coming through.Michael Cheika and his coaching group have blooded 13 new Wallabies this year.If you look at this as a long-term gamee towards the 2019 World Cup, I think rugby fans are quietly comfortable with the way were developing players.ddddddddddddSeven of the Wallabies losses came against the top two rugby nations - New Zealand and England.The Wallabies were horribly outclassed against the All Blacks, with their average losing margin across the three games a worrying 27 points.The 3-0 series loss at home to England was another dagger in the Wallabies pride.But Pulver believes the short-term pain will eventually lead to long-term glory.We never like to call it a rebuilding year, because we take every Test match seriously, Pulver said.One of Michaels focus points is to make sure youve got multiple players competing for the one position, and that leads to better performances and outcomes, and I think were getting there.Weve now got at least two players vying for every position. 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