To celebrate the launch ofInfinity Ward’s big sequel, I was graciously invited to a “secret"Modern Warfare 2launch event byCall of Duty. Not knowing what to expect, upon arriving it suddenly hit me how utterly predictable and on-brand the whole thing was, and I came away from it thinking ‘Well, what else did I expect?‘The event was dubbed a “secret tournament,” with a plethora of stars deployed to London to battle it out in various multiplayer modes. The event was hosted by award-winning musician, Professor Green, whilst the two competing teams were led by YouTube star Chunkz, and British rapper and television personality, Big Zuu. Joining the two were the likes of England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, professional boxer Nicola Adams, football star Fran Kirby, YouTuber BennyCentral, and more.READ MORE:Modern Warfare 2 Has Best-Selling Launch Weekend In Call Of Duty HistoryModern Warfare 2’s launch event took place a few hours before the game launched in the UK, and my journey began with a 90-minute train ride to London, followed by a 40-minute walk from the train station to the venue. It was a long journey, but this was a star-studded Call of Duty launch event - the kind of thing I’d dreamed of attending since the days of receiving abuse in the original Modern Warfare 2 lobbies.Surely the journey would be worth it…right?After making my journey into the heart of London, I was greeted by an individual with a Modern Warfare 2 lanyard who could clearly see the look of disorientation on my face. After pointing me in the right direction, two rather large bodyguards stood their ground in front of what appeared to be something I can only describe as the entrance to a construction site. Not knowing if I was about to make a fool of myself, I nervously exclaimed “C– Call of Duty?” to which they nodded their heads and wihout a word allowed me to enter.After a short wait in the queue, an event organiser asked for my name and pointed me over a bridge (yes, a bridge, indoors!) and down a rather large set of stairs. The walls were graffiti’ed with #ModernWarfare2, the beatof the music became louder and louder as I descended into the unknown, and my excitement was becoming immeasurable.This was it!Halfway down the stairs, a worn-torn man appears to be blocking my path. Archetypal British male that I am, my instant reaction was to politely shuffle past him without eye contact. Unfortunately for my socially anxious self, he wasn’t going to let this happen. Standing tall in front of me, and forcing eye contact, he exclaimed, “are you with them?” I turned to see a small group of people looking equally as confused as to why we’re not being allowed past. It was at this point I realised he was an actor doing a fake security check, which consisted of him waving a flashlight up and down our bodies before allowing us to continue down the stairs.
After finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, I emerged into an open space filled with fans, battle music, and fluorescent green lights setting the stage for what I was hoping would be an evening filled with some epic Call of Duty games. Sadly, it was not to be. With what I assume to be around 150 people attending the event, there were roughly 40 consoles set up for fans to play Modern Warfare 2 on, so I accepted that I’d be waiting a while if I wanted to get a few games in.
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The organisers were kind enough to offer free refreshments, but other than basking in the awe of actually being at a Call of Duty launch event, I was left twiddling my thumbs wondering what exactly I was supposed to be doing. After around 30-40 minutes of standing around, Professor Green took the stage and introduced the celebrity teams.
Professor Green confirmed that the teams would play a total of three games, which already struck me as a little lacklustre for a so-called “tournament”. But, nevertheless, the action began with a game of Domination that actually turned out to be a pretty close and intense one. Big Zuu’s team picked up the victory and went into round two, Team Deathmatch. This one wasn’t as close, as Big Zuu’s team picked up the win with ease. Could Team Chunkz make a comeback in round three to verify it wasn’t complete wipeout? Well, we’d never find out, because for reasons unknown the organisers called it quits after two games and send the celebrities packing.
After travelling for the better part of the afternoon, it was all over in the blink of an eye.
Now, we weren’t exactly being turfed out. We were welcome to stay, have a chit-chat, and play some Call of Duty. But, as I mentioned previously, the console-to-attendee ratio made this borderline impossible. It suddenly dawned on me,this whole thing was one big facade for social media. Much likeModern Warfare 2’s campaign, the production value was high, it all looked very well-done and enticing, but lacked any actual substance. Classic Call of Duty, eh?
I was always told as a child to never meet your heroes, but I was never told not to attend your dream gaming event because it’s actually just one big marketing scheme.
