Call of Duty League
eSports and Ghosts: How Infinity Ward is supporting competitive Call of Duty for 2014
Treyarch pushed the boundaries on how a Call of Duty game should support and be part of eSports with Black Ops 2. Competitive Call of Duty went from a subtle notice with MW3, to be one of the biggest games in competitive scene with Black Ops 2. But how will Infinity Ward continue this success?
With Call of Duty: Ghosts, Infinity Ward and Activision have already committed to bringing the Call of Duty: Championship back in 2014. The Call of Duty: Championship 2013 was a huge success; it had the biggest viewership out of any competitive Call of Duty scene ever. They’ve also confirmed that Call of Duty: Ghosts will be the exclusive FPS for all MLG Pro Circuit events throughout 2014, starting with MLG Columbus in Nov 2013.
The support with events is confirmed, but what about the features in-game? In Black Ops 2, Treyarch added new features including in-game live streaming, CODCasting mode for casters, full support of LAN lobbies, and more.
Infinity Ward’s MW3 didn’t have any support for eSports. It took them over 5 months to add the basic feature of competitive LAN settings. By that time, MLG didn’t bother to add MW3 to the competitive scene.
For Ghosts, Infinity Ward appears to be on the right track. They’ve added a new ‘spectator mode’ (it’s different from CODCasting as CODCasting won’t return), which allows casters to see the game, change player views, see scoreboards, and more. Infinity Ward has removed the live streaming feature, but as the competitive scene will be played on Xbox One, that won’t be a big problem.
Infinity Ward has added a new playlist – which will replace League Play – called ‘Clan vs. Clan’ playlist. This playlist will allow you to play with other members of your clan against other clans. Mark Rubin said that they plan to use the leader boards of the Clan vs. Clan playlist to determine some, not all, of the qualifiers for the 2014 Championship.
Infinity Ward has also added new game modes, including Search & Rescue and Blitz, which should help increase viewership of the competitive Call of Duty scene by adding new gameplay and tactics from pro players.
It looks like Infinity Ward has chosen the right path with how to approach the eSports scene of Call of Duty. They’ve kept the features that are a must – competitive LAN, spectator mode – and added new modes to help diversify the competitive scene.
What do you think about Infinity Ward’s approach to Call of Duty eSports? Let us know in the comments below!
Call of Duty League has announced the first version of the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Competitive Settings for the 2021 season.
UPDATE – Nov. 23: Activision has updated the Call of Duty League Competitive Settings to no longer have Semtex restricted.
These settings will be updated and changed as the seasons go on, and as more feedback is given from players to Treyarch & CDL.
The 2021 Call of Duty League season will kick off soon, with a full schedule on the season to be announced by the League in the near future.
Competitive Call of Duty rules adjust over time. The rules below represent the settings in place for Call of Duty Challengers events. Version 1 of the 2021 season Competitive Settings is foundational and rules may change throughout the year. Maps and modes may also change at a later date.
Competitive Settings V 1.0 have been developed in coordination between League Administration and representatives (players, coaches) of the Call of Duty League.
The season begins with the Call of Duty Challengers online Elite & Scout events in December.
Competitive Rule Set V1.0
Maps & Modes:
- Hardpoint
- Cartel
- Checkmate
- Crossroads
- Garrison
- Moscow
- Search & Destroy:
- Checkmate
- Crossroads
- Garrison
- Miami
- Moscow
- Control:
- Checkmate
- Garrison
- Moscow
Restricted Items:
- Primary Weapons:
- All LMGs
- Secondary Weapons:
- All Shotguns
- All Launchers
- All Special Weapons
- Attachments
- Body
- SWAT 5MW Laser Sight
- Ember Sighting Point
- Stock
- Dual Wield
- Body
- Tactical:
- Stimshot
- Decoy
- Lethal:
- C4
- Tomahawk
- Field Upgrade:
- Proximity Mine
- Field Mic
- Gas Mine
- Perks:
- Perk 1:
- Paranoia
- Forward Intel
- Perk 2:
- Tracker
- Perk 1:
- Wildcard:
- Danger Close
- Scorestreaks:
- Combat Bow
- Spy Plane
- Counter Spy Plane
- Care Package
- Sentry Turret
- Air Patrol
More information on the Call of Duty League Competitive Settings, including specific settings for Hardpoint, S&D, and Control modes, are available on the CDL site.
As always, stay tuned for the latest news on the Call of Duty League 2021 season.
Call of Duty: Warzone
Call of Duty nominated for multiple awards at 2020 Game Awards
Modern Warfare, Warzone, and CoD Mobile have been nominated for multiple awards in The Game Awards 2020.
Modern Warfare, Warzone, and CoD Mobile have been nominated for multiple awards in The Game Awards 2020.
The Game Awards is one of the internet’s largest live stream events. Reaching nearly 50 million viewers in 2019, the 2020 show is set for December 10.
In 2019, Modern Warfare won the Game Award for Sound Design, and Call of Duty Mobile won Best Mobile Game. Modern Warfare and CoD: Mobile have been nominated again, with Warzone up for two awards.
Voting is now open on TheGameAwards.com, so check out what categories Call of Duty has been nominated for.
Nominations
Modern Warfare & the CDL
Modern Warfare has been nominated for Best Esports game following the CDL 2020 in which Dallas Empire took the title, beating Atlanta FaZe 5-1. For winning the title, they have been nominated for Best Esports Team of the year.
Dallas Empire players Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter and Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro have been nominated for Best Esports Player.
The Call of Duty League Championship 2020 has also been nominated for Best Esports Event.
Warzone
Warzone, which launched in March 2020, has been nominated for two awards.
Call of Duty’s new battle royale took the world by storm, being one of the biggest battle royale games this year. Due to its success, it has been nominated for Best Multiplayer, going against internet icons such as Fall Guys and Among Us.
With its live-service model and regular updates, Warzone has also been nominated for Best Ongoing Game. The game will integrate with Black Ops Cold War in December, continuing its live-service model.
Call of Duty Mobile
After winning Best Mobile Game in 2019, CoD Mobile has again been nominated for Best Mobile game again. With regular updates and seasons, and many fan-favorite Call of Duty maps and weapons, CoD Mobile has established a loyal fanbase.
To vote for your favorite games from 2020, log in to TheGameAwards.com.
Source: The Game Awards
Throughout the Black Ops Cold War launch week, Call of Duty professional teams will be hosting events live with large prize pools.
All of these tournaments will be live streamed to the Call of Duty Twitch channel and CDL team Twitch channels between November 14th to November 20th. Every competition will have a prize pool of $25,000.
Each event will be hosted by a professional Call of Duty franchise team, and will feature guest stars, like other pro players, celebrities and streamers.
Events:
Atlanta FaZe – Cold War Clash featuring FaZe Clan
Saturday, November 14 at 1 p.m. PT
Format: Bracket-style classic competitive modes featuring FaZe Clan streamers
Watch on Twitch.
OpTic Chicago – Cold War Launch Event
Sunday, November 15 at 11 a.m. PT
Format: Group play draft with single elimination competitive modes featuring OpTic players and NRG streamers
Watch on Twitch.
Minnesota Røkkr Arms Race
Monday, November 16 at 12 p.m. PT
Format: Pro-mod style format with single elimination competitive modes featuring Røkkr players and top streamers.
Watch on YouTube.
Dallas Empire – Battle of the Throne
Tuesday, November 17 at 10 a.m. PT
Format: CDL competition format with four teams comprised of an Empire player, two top streamers, and an athlete/artist/celebrity.
Watch on YouTube.
Florida Mutineers – Release the Kraken: Cold War
Wednesday, November 18 at 9 a.m. PT
Format: Amateur community tournament with up to 64 teams.
Watch on YouTube.
London Royal Ravens – Cold War Colosseum
Thursday, November 19 at 9 a.m. PT
Format: Draft players with classic competitive modes featuring ReKT influencers and celebrities
Watch on YouTube.
Toronto Ultra – $25K Coldish War
Friday, November 20 at 12 p.m. PT
Format: “Dirty Bomb” game mode point race featuring OAM talent and pros
Watch on YouTube.
Source: Call of Duty League
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