Next year will see the arrival of the Call of Duty League. We now know 100 Thieves won’t appear in the tournament. Although the esports team is one of the best-loved Call of Duty sides, they have stated that the costs of entering into the new franchised league are too high.
Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag made the announcement this week. Nadeshot is a legendary Call of Duty player who founded 100 Thieves in November 2017. He stated the esports team won’t just be absent from the franchised Call of Duty tournament, but hinted that 100 Thieves won’t field a Path to Pro team either.
What the video here:
[iframe url=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/knL9kkr4vrI”]Although Nadeshot didn’t rule out 100 Thieves from participating in Call of Duty esports in the future, he made it clear they will not field a roster in the inaugural Call of Duty League tournament.
Let’s get into the reasons
Apparently, 100 Thieves were unwilling to pay the huge fees necessary to get a franchised spot in the Call of Duty League. It is thought that the cost of buying a franchised team is in the region of $25 million. In addition to this, the Call of Duty League features a home-and-away model which would drive up operational costs even further.
It’s also important to remember that 100 Thieves are one of the most recognizable brand names in the world of esports. By moving to a franchised league they would lose their identity and such moves would destroy the work done to make 100 Thieves such a powerful brand.
At the time of writing, there have been nine franchised locations revealed for the upcoming Call of Duty League. These include two places in Los Angeles, as well as franchises in Florida, New York, Minnesota, Atlanta, Paris, Toronto and Dallas.
100 Thieves aren’t the only well-known esports organization who have announced their unwillingness to enter the Call of Duty League. Recently we have seen the likes of Team Reciprocity stating that they won’t be making an appearance, and both Luminosity and Gen. G have withdrawn from the tournament despite making strong showings in the recent CWL Pro League.
Gen. G was reportedly close to getting a franchised spot but made a mess of the negotiations. The esports organization has a Seoul-based franchise in the current Overwatch League. Then, Luminosity owns Vancouver Titans in the same tournament.
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The Overwatch League came in for plenty of criticism when it was announced that it would be operating a franchised model. However, the tournament has proven to be hugely popular with fans, as well as sponsors who find that the city-based format makes perfect sense for their campaigns.
Call of Duty is one of the world’s most popular video games but it has struggled to make a similar impact in the competitive gaming domain. Although the arrival of the Call of Duty League is long overdue, the fact that teams like 100 Thieves won’t be included makes it a big disappointment for the gaming community.
