There are multipleCall of Dutygames with active playerbases right now, and these games continue to see fresh content from developers. A recentCall of Duty: WarzoneSeason 2 update set internet usage recordsbecause so many players downloaded it, andCall of Duty: Mobilejust released its Season 2 Day of Reckoning update as well. TheCall of Dutyfranchise is huge, but it has been notably absent from the esports scene for much of its existence. TheCall of Dutyseries only entered the esports world with the creation of the Call of Duty League in 2020.
Since then,Call of Dutyhas proven it can draw an audience. 2021 is already off to a good start for the franchise, as the CDL’s first Major event of the year saw 131,000 viewers watch OpTic Chicago vs. Atlanta FaZe playCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.The Atlanta FaZe won the Major event, which offered a good prize pool of $200,000.Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s fast-paced action makes for exciting competitive play, but the League wants to see more of other games in the series as well.
RELATED:Call of Duty Pro Scump Believes League Play Is Too Random
The CDL’s Chief Revenue Officer, Brandon Snow, believes thatCall of Dutyis in a special position to shine in the esports arena. When asked howCall of Dutywould measure up to other popular first-person shooter esports titles likeRainbow Six SiegeandCS:GO, Snow saidCall of Dutygames benefit from “franchise strength.” He elaborates further, saying “Call of Dutyis as big asStar Wars.It’s been around for 10-plus years, and over 200 million people have played the game. That’s the foundational difference.”
Snow also wants more competitive possibilities for titles likeCall of Duty: WarzoneandCall of Duty: Mobile. He states that the Call of Duty League seesWarzoneas an “opportunity to talk to more casual gamers,” but the League still recognizes the game’s appeal and has plans forWarzoneto “play a part of our esports product around theCall of Dutyfranchise.” It may draw a slightly different crowd thanBlack Ops Cold War, butWarzonestill struggles with a veritable Bingo board of bugs and hacksthat need to be ironed out to make it a smooth competitive experience.
As forCall of Duty: Mobile, the CDL has competitive plans for it too. Snow says thatamateur tournaments forCall of Duty: Mobilelast year were “a great success,” and there will be “future plans forCall of Duty: Mobileesports for 2021 very soon.” The inclusion ofCall of Duty: Mobileinto esports territory widens the playing field for even more gamers who don’t play on PC to enjoy competitive events. Though PC gaming still dominates the the esports scene, the Call Duty League seems focused on making competitive esports an option for allCall of Dutyplayers, no matter their platform.
