CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE REVEALS FIRST DETAILS OF 2020 COMPETITION
Call of Duty’s First City-Based League to Begin Home vs. Away Match Play
in Early 2020
Oct. 21 , 2019, Activision Blizzard Esports officially reveals details
for the new Call of Duty LeagueTM. The League is scheduled to begin
home-vs-away 5-versus-5 professional match play in early 2020 with 12 teams in
Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Florida, London, Los Angeles (2), Minnesota, New
York, Paris, Seattle, and Toronto, in addition to select League-run major
events throughout the season.
Each team in the league will host two ‘home series’ weekend events in
their respective markets in 2020, one in a Spring split and a second in a
Summer split. Multiple pro teams will compete at each home series event, giving
fans a wide range of must-see competition throughout the weekend. In between
the Spring andSummer splits, the League will host a special Call of Duty League
Midseason Weekend event where all 12 teams will be featured in special all-pro
tournaments and more.
Professional regular season competition will feature
best-of-five-matches series played in Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare on
Playstation®4. Pro teams with the best win-loss records will advance to the
postseason, where they will compete in a double elimination Playoffs until the
season champion is crowned. Playoff berths will include 2 wild card slots, and
both the Playoffs and Championship matches will take place at the Call of Duty
League Championship Weekend in Summer 2020.
In addition to pro play, the League will continue to foster the growth
and development of emerging player talent with Call of Duty ChallengersTM, its
amateur path to pro competition system. Call of Duty Challengers will include
online ladders, online tournaments, and open tournament event competitions
throughout the year beginning in November 2019, with a dedicated prize pool of
over $1 million. Several Call of Duty League pro teams will also support
amateur player pipeline development by hosting Call of Duty Challengers
competitions in their markets. More details regarding amateur events can be
found on CallofDutyLeague.com.
Fans will also be able to compete on behalf of their cities, in a new,
casual competition system called the Call of Duty League City CircuitTM. In the
City Circuit, fans can compete on behalf of their pro team cities through
online or LAN (local area network) tournaments held exclusively by the 12 Call
of Duty League teams. This fan-focused competitive circuit – set to launch
later in
2020 – will feature a duos-based format in the Call of Duty®: Modern
Warfare mode “Gunfight.” Call of Duty League City Circuit carries its own
prize pool and will culminate in a finals event at the Call of Duty League
Championship Weekend.
Call of Duty League’s vision is to engage fans in dynamic ways across
all 12 team markets and beyond. Home Series Weekends will showcase the best
Call of Duty esports players in the world as well as the unique energy and
passion of teams’ local fanbases.
“It is an honor to introduce the Call of Duty League, built to reimagine
what esports can be,” said Johanna Faries, Commissioner of the Call of Duty
League. “We’ve partnered with top-tier organisations who share our commitment
to supporting the best players in the world and to entertain fans in unique
ways. Together, we seek to bring incredible experiences to our pro, amateur,
and fan communities, and to blaze new trails for the future of sports
entertainment.”
The full roster of cities and ownership groups are:
- Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Esports Ventures, a joint venture owned by Cox
Enterprises and Province, Inc.
- Chicago, IL – NRG Esports
- Dallas, TX – Envy Gaming, Inc.
- Florida – Misfits Gaming
- London, United Kingdom – ReKTGlobal, Inc
- Los Angeles, CA – Immortals Gaming Club (IGC)
- Los Angeles, CA – Kroenke Sports & Entertainment
- Minnesota – WISE Ventures
- New York, NY – Sterling.VC
- Paris, France – c0ntact Gaming
- Seattle, WA – The Aquilini Group
- Toronto, Canada – OverActive Media
For more information on the new Call of Duty
League, visit callofdutyleague.com.
About Call of Duty League
Call of Duty® LeagueTM is the official esports
league of the Call of Duty franchise, from publisher Activision. The inaugural
season of Call of Duty League includes 12 teams from four countries and
spotlights the best Call of Duty esports players from around the world. Call of
Duty League launches in 2020, and will feature fresh ways for pro players,
amateurs, and fans to come together around one of the world’s most beloved
games.
About Activision Blizzard Esports
Activision Blizzard Esports (ABE) is responsible
for the development, operation, and commercialization of Activision Blizzard’s
professional gaming properties including the Overwatch LeagueTM, the Call
of Duty® League,
Call of Duty Challengers, Hearthstone Masters,
the StarCraft II World Championship Series, and the World of Warcraft
Arena World Championship and Mythic Dungeon International, among others. ABE
also operates Tespa, the leader in collegiate esports. It is ABE’s vision to be
the most innovative, scalable, and valuable developer of global competitive
entertainment.
About Activision
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision is a leading
global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision
maintains operations throughout the world and is a division of Activision
Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P 500 company. More information about
Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com or
by following @Activision.
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©2019 Activision Publishing, Inc. CALL OF DUTY, MODERN WARFARE and CALL
OF DUTY LEAGUE are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other
trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in
this press release that involves Activision Blizzard’s expectations, plans,
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