Call of Duty League Props Launch Weekend in Minneapolis
Activision Blizzard Esports mapped out the inaugural season of the Call of Duty League, which is slated to kick off with the Call of Duty League Launch Weekend taking place at the Minneapolis Armory from January 24-26, 2020, in Minneapolis.
Hosted by the Minnesota Røkkr team, operated by WISE Ventures Esports, the weekend will serve up all 12 professional Call of Duty League teams competing across three days. The opening weekend of the regular season will feature additional fan and player experiences to celebrate the launch of Activision Blizzard Esports’ new city-based league.
“We are thrilled with the continued growth of the Call of Duty esports footprint as an international, city-based league with 12 teams in 4 countries, all of which deliver epically entertaining competition to millions of fans around the world,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “Building on our city-based model’s success in esports first established by the Overwatch League, we are excited to unite the historic passion for the Call of Duty franchise with city-based fandom to create a league to rival the very best leagues in traditional sports in recognizing, celebrating and rewarding our players.”
Throughout the season, each team will host “Home Series” weekends in their market, with multiple pro teams competing at each event with 5-versus-5 professional match play, with 12 teams in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Florida, London, Los Angeles (2), Minnesota, New York, Paris, Seattle, and Toronto.
Launch Weekend will also feature the season’s first Call of Duty Challengers Open, pitting amateur players from around the world who can compete as teams in an open bracket tournament format. Beginning in November, Call of Duty Challengers competitors will begin battling via online ladders and tournaments for their share of an overall dedicated prize pool of more than $1 million during the 2020 season. Challengers team passes for Launch Weekend will go on sale in early December.
“We are thrilled to debut the Call of Duty League in Minnesota in partnership with the Wilf Family and everyone at WISE Ventures,” said Johanna Faries, Commissioner of the Call of Duty League. “Bringing together all 12 pro teams and the amateur community together for this special moment will usher in a new era for Call of Duty esports.”
