Five cities have purchased a spot in the upcoming franchised Call of Duty league

Activision Blizzard announced their first quarter 2019 results, and as part of the release, Activision Blizzard has announced that the company has sold the first five city spots for the franchised Call of Duty league, which the company has been working on launching for a while.

The first five teams to join the franchised Call of Duty league are owned by the same owners behind the Overwatch League teams in the cities.

Here are the first five teams:

• Atlanta (Owned by Atlanta Esports Ventures)
• Dallas (Owned by Team Envy)
• New York (Owned by Sterling VC with New York Mets owner)
• Paris (Owned by c0ntact Gaming, LLC)
• Toronto (Owned by OverActive Media)

“We started the year with strong operating discipline and exceeded our prior outlook for the first quarter. We are increasing investment in our biggest franchises to better deliver against our growth potential, and I am pleased with our progress,” said Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. “We’re continuing to enhance our leadership position in esports. The second season of the Overwatch League™ has seen strong growth in viewership, and we’re seeing enthusiastic demand for our professional, city-based Call of Duty® league franchises. We have already sold the first five Call of Duty teams in Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Paris and Toronto to owners who recognize the scale of the opportunity from their partnerships with us on the Overwatch League.”

A few additional details on the city teams was mentioned in the company’s financial results highlights:

The Company’s professional Call of Duty city-based league is off to a strong start, selling its first five franchise teams. In Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Paris and Toronto, we are partnering with existing Overwatch League team owners who have first-hand experience of our esports strategy and capabilities and recognize the scale of the opportunity for a global Call of Duty league.

ESPN first reported earlier this year that Activision Blizzard was asking for $25 million per each city spot, a number many thought no one would pay for. Thus far, the interest, according to Activision Blizzard, has been high. Activision Blizzard has been discussing bringing the Overwatch League’s implementation to Call of Duty esports for years now, and the company is finally on track to do so.

No details on when the franchised Call of Duty World League will start has been announced by the company for now, but it is expected to start with the 2020 Call of Duty esports season.

During the investor call, Activision Blizzard CEO said that more details on how the franchised Call of Duty league will work will be announced in the coming months.