eSports News by Content Engine AI

A series of high-profile titles from Activision / Bungie have proved that there’s potential in a post-release esports experience, and it’s no surprise to see the company attempting to replicate that success in Call of Duty. Last year the company acquired Operations, the makers of Call of Duty: Champions.

Activision Blizzard did not announce whether it plans to rebrand the Champions series, as with both StarCraft and World of Warcraft, but you can bet it’s under consideration. In any case, COD League commissioner Brett White has confirmed that the company is eyeing the chance to create its own set of games.

It’s an intriguing thought, and White has explained why he thinks a Call of Duty-inspired franchise is long overdue. “It’s absolutely time. It’s been less than 10 years since World of Warcraft, and that seems to be the kind of time period that people’s [retirement] schedules are dictated by,” White told Game Informer. “One of the things that we want to push with COD League is, how do we… inspire that creativity to come to an esports franchise in the first place, and we’re starting off with our primary fanbase, to say, ‘Listen, there’s an opportunity here. And we’re going to start with you and us in this exclusive first year and see how we can sort of seed it. And we know it’s going to be growing and hopefully we’ll get to a different partnership situation for a second year.’ If the talent, the creators of these game series, want to have a professional sport built around what they’re doing, I think this’ll actually take off.”

It’s a nice sentiment, and one that fans of Call of Duty’s medieval-influenced shooter formula have clamored for ever since the series launched in 2003. It’s also, for better or worse, a sign that the industry is starting to understand that the best way to build a franchise is not to keep releasing games.

Modern Warfare 2, which was last released in 2011, has become a digital exemplar of closure — also an important lesson to be taken away from its precursor, Modern Warfare, which came out in 2007. And yes, Activision Blizzard did admit that Infinite Warfare’s patchy launch was a function of not enough players clicking on the million-dollar buy-in-a-day opportunity. That’s a testament to the influence that modded shooters, especially ESL Pro League, have had on the industry.

Get caught up on our exclusive Call of Duty League season preview

The question, then, is whether Activision Blizzard would have been more successful if it developed a lower-priced subscription service that focused on supporting Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, rather than on being a perma-tag franchise. A similar idea would be all-around useful in other genres, as well, with overpriced games forcing people to subscribe to compete. It’s a harsh lesson that not all games are created equal, and Activision Blizzard has become the king of multiplayer in that arena.

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