Fan Wedding, ‘Black Ops 6’ Monster

“Call of Duty: Next” kicks off Wednesday, moving from its usual Los Angeles venue to Washington, D.C. this year in honor of Activision‘s forthcoming release in the franchise, “Black Ops 6,” which is set in the nation’s hotbed for black-ops activity.

This marks the first time the “Next” event, which was created to drive social media engagement and sales surrounding the “Call of Duty” franchise by giving top gaming-focused creators a chance to get hands-on multiplayer experience with new titles ahead of release, will take place outside of California and highlights just how much Activision’s new owner Microsoft is invested in the Oct. 25 “Black Ops 6” launch.

“The planning for it started six to nine months ago, when we were figuring out where we wanted to have it this year and it really came down to the storyline of the game,” senior vice president and head of marketing at Activision Tyler Bahl told Variety. “Looking at this new level, ‘Most Wanted,’ it takes place in DC at Governor Bill Clinton’s fundraiser. And we were asking, how can we bring this to life in a much bigger way and could we actually bring ‘Next’ to DC and have 250 creators from around the global come visit and have that DC experience for the first time? There were so many different opportunities in the DC area. We’re going to be taking over the Spy Museum on one day. We’re going to do something with our partners with Polaris called the Operator Academy, where we’re going to allow them to go off-roading the following day. We really want to bring a holistic experience and there’s just some amazing venues in DC and this backdrop and history and culture that we wanted to take advantage of. So we made the decision, and since then, it’s just been all the planning and logistics to bring it to life. And we’re really excited for our players to see what we have in store?”

While “Call of Duty: Next” will include plenty of time for the creators invited to experience the new game, updates for mobile title “Call of Duty: Warzone,” and get details from developers Treyarch and Raven, the main purpose of the annual Activision event, Bahl notes so much of the focus this year is on the themed activities that will give the influencers the content they need to increase hype among their followers for “Black Ops 6.”

“There’s going to be a motorcade that is going to drive through DC, giving them a little tour from the hotel that they’re staying at to the venue itself,” Bahl said. “So it’ll be five busses, 16 motorcycles driving through D.C., fully branded for ‘Black Ops 6.’ We have one of these characters that we’re bringing to life called the Mega Abomination. It’s one of the ‘Zombies’ characters and it’s huge. That’ll actually be greeting all the creators as they arrive — this three-story monster that breathes fire lasers as they enter. It’s going to be the largest marionette for a video game and we will have Guinness Book of World Records there to verify that. And at the Spy Museum, We’re gonna have our first ‘Call of Duty’ wedding. We have two creators that met through ‘Call of Duty’ and we’ll have a third creator who’s going to officiate. It’s tricked out with all kinds of stuff, like ‘Call of Duty’ cufflinks, orange-and-black bouquets and stuff. I um, I mean, if you just, you know, and robes and cakes.”

For those not among the lucky 250 creators invited on site, “Call of Duty: Next” and Activision’s CODE Bowl will be available to livestream on Twitch and YouTube beginning at 9 am PT on Wednesday.

“Black Ops 6” will launch its Beta edition Aug. 30, just after “Call of Duty: Next” wraps.