There’s no doubt that CODcasting in Black Ops II is going to change the way people make Call of Duty videos on YouTube.  There’s also no doubt that CODcasting is Activision’s way of edging into the competitive gaming scene in a way they’ve never done before.  The question is, will CODcasting and it’s bundled ELITE/livestreaming services replace MLG for COD tournaments?

Part of what has made COD so popular is how entertaining it can be to watch.  As fun as Counter-Strike is to play, it’s boring to watch because of the lack of respawn and how camper-centric it can be (yes, people rush in CS, but it’s very hard to do well when moving in CS).  So why wouldn’t Activision want to cash in on the MLG/YouTube boom?  BO1 saw the first COD game to be integrated with YouTube and MW3 continued the trend.  BOII’s CODcasting is poised to replace the way people have been watching competitive COD. To me, it’s just a matter of time before we’re all watching ELITE competitions sponsored by Activision.  Considering how good an experience and presentation CODcasting is probably going to offer, I think people aren’t going to watch competitive COD any other way when it launches.

Part of what has held MLG back for COD is a lack of integration.  CODcasting has really opened the doors for a truly immersive and integrated spectating experience.  This year’s MLG circuit is going to be heavy on COD content and CODcasting is without a doubt going to make that content way more interesting.  But eventually, CODcasting will only be able to be broadcast via COD ELITE and MLG will probably get pushed out of the hustle.  What this means for us is that we’re probably going to have to pay for an ELITE Premium-type service (not all services included in BOII’s free ELITE service have been announced as of yet) to watch competitive COD gaming.  As much as I don’t like the way that sounds, I think it would actually make something like an ELITE Premium service worth the investment.

ELITE has lacked real exclusive content in my opinion and if I were more interested in MLG, chances are I’d be lining up to pay for ELITE Premium-type service, should it come to pass.  That said, it would really suck to see the MLG community pushed out of the COD scene.  A lot of great players and excellent YouTubers got their start with MLG and I worry that if Activision takes over the scene, the level of diversity we’ve gotten used to is going to thin out.

What are your thoughts?  Are you worried that MLG will struggle to compete with Activision?  Let us know in the comments.

Thank you for reading.