A third season awaits after Call of Duty League Champs, and ‘Vanguard’ can do heavy lifting

The 2021 Call of Duty League season is drawing to a close. But talks about 2022 are hardly just beginning.

In a crucial season for the league, which ran almost entirely in a global pandemic and now impacted by a lawsuit and bomb reports of a toxic work culture at its parent company, the future always matters.

That means gradual – sometimes drastic – change.

“I am sure how we will approach this process of change. And it’s going to be collaborative, ”said Daniel Tsay, general manager of Call of Duty eSports at Activision Blizzard. “We’ll listen to the fans, and what they said and loudly uttered, we’ll talk to our players. And we plan with our teams, right? And we are not afraid of iterations and innovations. “

With the Champs playing Thursday through Sunday at the Galen Center (an arena with 10,258 spectators, home of USC basketball) in Los Angeles this week, the CDL will soon have to move from the end of a season to preparation for a new season.

Tsay, who also played a pivotal role in launching the NBA 2K League as chief of operations before joining the CDL crew in March, said they realize it is only season two.

A league in its infancy can welcome new ideas, and that is the goal of the CDL with the upcoming offseason. Fans want live events to attend. As the CDL can be sure to give you that, one event after another will be tackled, with Champs the next benchmark.

For the gameplay to be exciting, the franchise needs to evolve. It stays fresh by installing a new game every November. Players have wish lists for the upcoming Call of Duty: Vanguard, which will be previewed outside the Dallas Empire and Minnesota Rokkr at 2:00 p.m. CST to kick off the Champs.

The CDL is not always outspoken, but how it handles feedback from its supporters, players and organizations will determine the future of the league. If the product is good, there will be plenty of Call of Duty fans out there for the CDL to access.

The league committed to this process as early as 2020 when the CDL brought back major events. Give the fans live Call of Duty and let that be the magic.

“We need to give fans more opportunities to get back in front of the players, which was planned all along,” said Mike Rufail, owner of Envy Gaming and Dallas Empire. “I hope the pandemic doesn’t keep increasing in the number of cases so hopefully we have a clear picture of what we can do in the next season. Regarding bringing the fans back into the arenas with us and watching the teams play and what it looks like or the structure, I can’t tell you. “

The growth of an esports league like the CDL will be a slow burn. Every season and off-season becomes crucial. But with a new game coming out every offseason, there’s always a chance of a clean slate.

I’ve done it before

Fresh from a historic 5-4 reverse sweep win with the Rokkr over the Toronto Ultra, Dillon “Attach” Price saw the power of live events in front of an audience. The CDL was finally able to step into the drama on stage after almost two full seasons of online gameplay.

The CDL is still trying to adapt, even as the pandemic intensifies again.

Several players tested positive for COVID-19 after Major V at Esports Stadium Arlington, including OpTic Chicago poster player Seth “Scump” Abner. The league wanted to keep the magic of LAN games for the Champs. The response consisted of extensive requirements, including proof of vaccination or negative PCR tests for entry to the event.

A dilemma for the CDL in recognizing this off-season is to have consistent live events without demanding teams having to travel across the continent or to Europe every week.

Price, a Call of Duty pro since 2013, had a suggestion.

“I think the best would be what we did before with the MLG days or the Call of Duty World League days where we would go to Ohio for two weeks,” Price told The Dallas Morning News. “You just played your league games on the LAN and then they had another group that would go for two weeks. They would all play their league games and the top teams from those groups would be placed in your group and the majors would play from there. “

The annual release of a new title enables a built-in reset button for the league.

While CDL commissioner Johanna Faries isn’t as vocal in public as the leadership of other esports leagues, she doesn’t have to be when it comes to gameplay, format, or working behind the scenes with players who helped shape the league and made changes. Faries was also named General Manager of Call of Duty in April.

Sensitive but important issues like prescription drug use in the CDL emerged after ex-Empire star Cuyler “Huke” admitted using Adderall for the 2020 championship. These issues require answers, and how the CDL promotes these policies could attract attention and respect for the league with an issue not unique to Call of Duty esports.

Every step the CDL takes in the off-season would have the ultimate goal of drawing more attention to the product.

Every young league will be looking for an increase in attendance. The CDL is no different, and while Tsay said they were happy with some of the numbers, there were opportunities to capitalize on it.

CDL Intel’s Twitter account revealed viewer statistics showing that four of the five majors surpassed the 100,000 peak audience mark. The CDL’s job is to make this a consistent spot.

Tsay said that engaging storylines and gameplay are at the heart of the CDL product. Dallas Empire head coach Ray “Rambo” Lussier said this season has been the most competitive Call of Duty esports game ever, with most teams able to beat anyone on a given day.

Toronto Ultra star and MVP candidate Cameron “Cammy” McKilligan thought the 4-on-4 swap was also beneficial, and that came from someone who was introduced to the league in 5-on-5 .

“Call of Duty goes a lot better with 4v4 than 5v5, and I got 5v5,” McKilligan said. “The difference is just learning how to play and that has been a big deal for me this year. But the game plays better and I think everyone had more fun. “

With changes like this, Vanguard can shine

The next chapter

November is always an important month in Call of Duty and should be for the CDL as well. A priority should be to capitalize on the release of Vanguard, and as the pros will inevitably edit the game eight to twelve hours a day.

Over the past week, news and leaks have surfaced about Vanguard and that avid professional gamers are taking center stage given the competitive side of Call of Duty.

That’s what CDL players always want. More attention to the scene, more communication and healthy play. McKilligan said that players desperately want a more sophisticated ranking system so they don’t have to rely on scrimmages for quality gameplay.

idk whether i’m just older or jaded or what but i really can’t find any excitement for new titles. I really want to believe and trust that the next title will be “the one” who finally hits the nail on the head, but we all know how it usually goes …

– NYSL Clayster (@Clayster) August 16, 2021

A more competitive playlist than the league game in Black Ops: Cold War could also attract more casual viewers. Even that is not the only way to attract new fanatics. Warzone exploded as an alpha battle royale in the gaming scene in March 2020 and had over 100 million players in April.

Surely some of them would be interested in Call of Duty at a high level. The CDL clearly recognizes this as Vanguard premieres Thursday in Warzone’s Verdansk card for gamers for an in-game event.

The league doesn’t make decisions directly with Vanguard, but there is communication between the team that does and the CDL.

“I can’t elaborate on what makes us special compared to the franchise, especially when it comes to new game titles coming out,” said Tsay. “But what I can say is that there is a very close relationship between us and the franchise and we pursue these kinds of decisions together.”

The avant-garde is on the horizon. While the entirety of the Call of Duty League doesn’t just depend on the new title, year three can make all the difference.

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