'Call of Duty' reloads for voyage into space

Starting Friday, thousands of video game fans will crowd The Forum — former home to the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers — for the next release of Call of Duty, the top-selling PC and console video game in the U.S. for six years in a row.

The sold-out fan event, Call of Duty XP, underscores the importance of the game to Activision Blizzard (ATVI), even as the game publisher shifts into new markets such as mobile gaming, and film and TV production.

The multi-day affair lets players try the franchise's latest entry for the first time, as well as view musical performances from Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa.

This year's game will introduce new ways to outfit the player's digital soldier with special suits called "combat rigs," outrageous gear like "black hole grenades" and in-game guest appearances including Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor.

“This demands more than just a traditional press conference or marketing or trailer releases,” says Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, of the XP event. “This really feels like a franchise celebration and fan celebration.”

How Activision tries to keep 'Call of Duty' 'fresh'

The Call of Duty franchise has been the top-selling console and PC video game property in the U.S. for six straight years, according to research firm NPD Group. The latest entry, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, pushed the franchise to its highest first-half revenue ever during the first six months of 2016.

It's big business for Activision, which has also made a play for mobile with its acquisition of Candy Crush maker King.

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter estimates about 25% of Activision's revenue stems from sales of Call of Duty games and expansions. As of February, sales of Call of Duty games reached 250 million, netting more than $15 billion between sales of the game and digital expansions released throughout the year.

“Year in and year out, the franchise continues to put out a solid game,” says Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Olson. “It's hard to have that kind of consistency over this period of time.”

This year, developers of this November's release, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, journey toward a new frontier, outer space.

Call of Duty is a first-person shooter, a type of action game where players view combat from a first-person perspective. The initial 2003 debut title transported players to some of the biggest battles of World War II. The franchise's growth into a blockbuster began with 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which took place in the present day, with players attempting to prevail as action heroes in intense battlefield situations.

Its influence was powerful enough to prompt Activision to launch an enhanced version of the game later this year, titled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered.

“(Activision) filled a need that, prior to Call of Duty, gamers didn't know that they had,” said Wedbush's Pachter. “It turned from just a game into a habit.”

Activision Blizzard will try to get players to continue that habit with Infinite Warfare, using this weekend's XP fan event to share key details about the series' popular multiplayer mode, which allows players to participate in a variety of competitive military battles online with human opponents.

A glimpse of what's new in 'Call of Duty' multiplayer

Central to Infinite Warfare are “combat rigs,” cutting-edge combat suits worn by the player's soldier tailored to their fighting strategy. They include a Merc suit for those who play defensively, or Phantom for players preferring covert tactics. The game will also take advantage of its new surroundings, featuring competitive battles on space stations and equipment such as “black hole grenades” capable of creating tiny black holes.

“It's given us a lot of creative freedom in the places we play and the style of equipment we give people,” says Dave Stohl, head of Call of Duty studio Infinity Ward of the move to space. “But we're still giving people the Call of Duty game play that they know and love.”

The franchise also continues to attract a dose of star power. Game of Thrones star Kit Harrington will appear in the game's story-driven Campaign as primary villain Admiral Kotch.

Hirshberg says it helps that many celebrities or athletes making appearances are fans of the video game. "There's an authentic connection which I think is important because otherwise it can feel gratuitous."

But it's this weekend's big reveal of new features in multiplayer that will leave players buzzing. "That is the long tail of this game,” says Hirshberg. “There are people who play and love Campaign, (but) the largest (group of) people who play this game all year round are playing multiplayer.”

Call of Duty will also push deeper into one of the industry's hottest markets: eSports. Earlier this year, Activision Blizzard kicked off the Call of Duty World League featuring competitive video game teams battling to compete in the Call of Duty Championships, taking place this weekend with a $2 million prize pool.

Despite a new title launching each year since 2007, Pachter says Call of Duty won't wear out its loyal fan base for a while. “They're going to figure out a way to keep people engaged,” he says. “I don’t think it goes away for another 10 or 15 years.”

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.