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'Call of Duty: Black Ops 2' gets more competitive with League Play

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Activision

When the highly anticipated shooter "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" launches on Nov. 13, its multiplayer action is guaranteed to bring out the competitive streak in anyone who plays. But the developers behind the game are looking to make "Black Ops 2" more competitive, more fair and more entertaining with several additions to the game.

With the Gamescom game convention under way in Germany this week,  the folks at Treyarch have revealed League Play, a new matchmaking system for "Black Ops 2" multiplayer that makes sure gamers are competing against players at about their own skill level.

Game design director David Vonderhaar told the Activision blog One of Swords that, in League Play, players will be placed in a division based on how well they do in several test matches. The divisions will be made up of a few hundred or maybe a thousand other players and as you compete you will work their way up (or perhaps down) the ladder. 

The developers at Treyarch believe creating a league system based on players' skill levels is a good way to let everyone enjoy the competitive aspect of "Black Ops 2" multiplayer gaming. 

"When I play the game and I win, I have a really good time," Vonderhaar explained. "I also have a really good time when I almost win. It’s not very fun when I get the sh#@ kicked out of me."

Additionally, with a nod to just how popular of an e-sport (i.e. electronic sport) the Call of Duty franchise has become, Treyarch is making it easy for players to livestream their matches for others to watch on the Internet.

“You press the livestream button on, and you are livestreaming to the Internet — and that’s all it takes," Vonderhaar said. "Anybody in League Play can livestream."

And for those who like to both watch others play and comment on what they're doing — shoutcasting (in-game broadcasting) is also being added to "Black Ops 2."

According to the announcement, the "CODcasting" tool gives players "the ability to see all of the action in the game by switching between many different views, including a picture-in-picture mode that allows the player to toggle between the game camera and map top-down view."

Live streaming will be available in League Play while CODcasting will be available through Theater replays, Custom Games and local play, Treyarch explained.

For more on the changes on the way with "Black Ops 2" multiplayer, check out the website here. And take a look at some of the new competitive multiplayer action in this new "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" multiplayer trailer:

— via One of Swords

Winda Benedetti writes about video games for NBC News. You can follow her tweets about games and other things on Twitter here @WindaBenedetti and you can follow her on Google+. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the IN-GAME FACEBOOK PAGE to discuss the day's gaming news and reviews.