'Call of Duty' and 'Halo 5' up competitive game

Both Call of Duty: Black Ops III and Halo 5: Guardians are increasing their profiles as eSports contenders ahead of launching in a few months' time. 

Where gaming tournaments were once local events, held at computer stores, arcades, community centres or friend's houses, now online connectivity, corporate sponsorship, and fan-funded prize pools have helped turn them into multimillion dollar spectaculars. 

Strategy games Dota 2, League of Legends, and entries to the StarCraft franchise are among the scene's biggest titles, dominating payout rankings. 

But among first-person shooter games like Call of Duty and Halo – both known for their prowess as retail blockbusters – it's the PC-oriented Counter-Strike series which is world leader. 

That could start to change as Call of Duty publisher Activision and Halo owner Microsoft look to put their games and preferred console platforms back on the map; both have made Gamescom announcements in support of crowd-drawing competitive play. 

In November's Call of Duty: Black Ops III, competitive players will be challenged to prove their skill with a series of winning streaks – no mean feat when your opponents are trying to do the same. 

Teams will participate in a more strategic pre-game hustle, voting for or against certain in-game conditions, which is a feature common to League of Legends and Dota 2. 

And live matches can be broadcast more easily, with a Live Event viewer baked in toBlack Ops III, which bypasses the use of streaming services like Twitch, Ustream or Hitbox, and offers customization options to broadcasters. 

The August 5 announcement was an opportunity for Call of Duty to emphasize its new partnership with PlayStation, further distancing itself from old ambassador Xbox. 

Xbox, meanwhile, is focusing on its in-house shooter Halo. 

A US$1mil (RM3.91mil) prize pool for the Halo World Championship is just the foundation, the pot growing as fans contribute to it. 

In contrast to Call of Duty, Microsoft is partnering with ESL and Major League Gaming as well as Twitch and the new YouTube Gaming service for Halo 5: Guardians. 

Multiplayer has been overhauled in the game – which will be competing with Battlefieldand Star Wars: Battlefront – to include 24-player conflicts, and a new Arena mode is dedicated to 4-on-4 competition. 

It replaced Halo 2: Anniversary at the Halo Championship Series, with a showcase invitational on Aug 7 where four pro teams tested the game and each other live from Gamescom's ESL Arena, 4pm Central European Standard Time (Aug 7, 10pm Malaysian time), with the experience broadcast through twitch.tv/halo. — AFP Relaxnews