September 28, 2015 Chris Del Castillo

Activision announces Call of Duty World League

For the last few years, Activision has held the Call of Duty Championships, which featured top teams from around the world competing for a prize pool of $1 million competing in the most recent Call of Duty Game, but starting January, things are about to get a lot bigger. Activision has announced the creation of the Call of Duty World League.

The new eSports league “provides a deeper level of engagement with the elite circuit of professional gamers, while also encouraging casual fans and aspiring competitors of Call of Duty to enjoy the thrill of competition across different skill levels.”

The league will be split into two divisions, The Pro Division and The Challenge Division. The Pro Division will be regular season for teams from North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, as they compete for their chance to make it to the final. The Challenge Division is something new where amateur players and other aspiring pro players who aren’t signed to a team can compete with each other and enhance their competitive skills as well as earn a spot in the Call of Duty Championship by competing in a series of official LAN events.

“Call of Duty has always been about community, camaraderie and competition, which drives incredible engagement with the game all year long. eSports allows us to deliver these moments to our fans whether they are playing the game themselves or cheering on those who are,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. “Three years ago, we held the first Call of Duty Championship to showcase the dedication and skill of Call of Duty players around the world. Since then, eSports has become a global phenomenon with more than 120 million people watching online competitive gaming each year and Call of Duty continues to lead as the top console eSports franchise in the world.”

With Call of Duty Black Ops III releasing in November, the Call of Duty Championship will move from Spring to Fall to give players in both divisions more time to improve their skills as they will be set to complete in the regular season.

Activision also announced that there is more than $3 million on the line between series payouts, LAN events, and the Call of Duty Championship, so it’s time to get serious to win such a huge amount of money next year.