Black Ops II, a new installment of the blockbuster Call of Duty franchise is set to debut this month, and with it Activision and Treyarch plan to embrace an interesting new feature: live streaming of multiplayer sessions. Today the publisher announced that YouTube will be providing the platform for this console-exclusive venture, with an exclusive channel where players will be able to live broadcast their faux military prowess.
The live-streaming feature will be tightly integrated into the (now free) Call of Duty Elite service and is exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game. The only requirement is having a YouTube account.
Users can activate the option under the League Play game mode and start broadcasting matches over the web right away. The latter is a new seasonal, bracket-based matchmaking system that keeps gamers paired with others matching their own skill level based on how well they do in several test matches.
Those watching live matches will have ability to switch between several different views, including a picture-in-picture mode that allows toggling between the game camera and map top-down view. In addition to gameplay footage, gamers will also be able to stream webcam and audio commentary while playing.
Activision and Treyarch hope that the new feature will make Black Ops II into a popular eSport.
"With our competitive play and eSports initiatives, we wanted to deliver live streaming capabilities built right into Call of Duty: Black Ops II, because Call of Duty is not only fun and exciting to play, but we believe it will be just as exciting to watch. By making the capability of live streaming as accessible as possible to our fans, straight from a player's console without the need for any additional hardware, we are empowering our fans to share their multiplayer experiences."
Call of Duty: Black Ops II is scheduled for release on November 13. PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game made it to torrent sites earlier this week along with gameplay footage showcasing the zombie mode.