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
How to watch $500k CDL Stage 1 Major
The $500k Call of Duty League Season 1 Major is finally here, with all 12 teams in action. Check out the stream, results, schedule, and bracket.
After weeks of competition in Stage 1 of the 2021 season, the first Call of Duty League Major is underway, and we’ve got all the information you need to catch the $500,000 tournament.
- CDL Stage 1 Major runs from Wednesday, March 3 to Sunday, March 7.
- $500,000 prize pool, all 12 teams will feature. Seedings based on Stage 1 results.
- Seattle Surge and London Royal Ravens eliminated on day one.
Call of Duty League 2021’s Stage 1 is drawing to its epic conclusion, with all 12 teams competing in the $500,000 Major tournament. A new addition to the 2021 format, the double-elimination tournament is the first time we’ve seen knockout action this year, with Seattle Surge and London Royal Ravens already eliminated after the first day of competition.
Day Two sees the start of Winner’s Bracket play, with LA Thieves facing their local rivals LA Guerrillas, while Chicago OpTic square off with New York Subliners.
Stream
Just like CDL Home Series events, all the action from this week’s Major will be broadcast on the official Call of Duty League YouTube channel, which is embedded below.
This is also the last chance to earn special Stage 1 rewards by linking your Activision and YouTube accounts.
Schedule
Day 2: Thursday, March 4
Round | Teams | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Mar. 4) |
Winners R1 | LA Thieves vs LA Guerrillas | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
Winners R1 | OpTic Chicago vs New York Subliners | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
Losers R2 | Paris Legion vs TBD | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
Losers R2 | Minnesota ROKKR vs TBD | 4:30 PM | 7:30 PM | 12:30 AM | 11:30 AM |
Day 3: Friday, March 5
Round | Teams | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Mar. 4) |
Winners R2 | Dallas Empire vs TBD | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
Winners R2 | Atlanta FaZe vs TBD | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
Losers R3 | TBD vs TBD | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
Losers R3 | TBD vs TBD | 4:30 PM | 7:30 PM | 12:30 AM | 11:30 AM |
Day 4: Saturday, March 6
Round | Teams | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Mar. 4) |
Losers R4 | TBD vs TBD | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
Losers R4 | TBD vs TBD | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
Losers R5 | TBD vs TBD | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
Day 5: Sunday, March 7
Round | Teams | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Mar. 4) |
Winners Final | TBD vs TBD | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
Losers Final | TBD vs TBD | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
Grand Final | TBD vs TBD | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
Results
Day 1: Wednesday, March 3
Round | Teams | Hardpoint | S&D | Control | Hardpoint | S&D |
Losers R1 | London Royal Ravens 2-3 Toronto Ultra | TOR 250-142 (Garrison) | LRR 6-3 (Garrison) | TOR 3-0 (Raid) | LRR (250-202) (Moscow) | TOR 6-4 (Moscow) |
Losers R1 | Florida Mutineers 3-1 Seattle Surge | FLA 250-235 (Crossroads) | SEA 6-5 (Checkmate) | FLA 3-0 (Garrison) | FLA 250-157 (Raid) | N/A |
The Stage 1 Major ended at the first hurdle for the winless London Royal Ravens, who put up a valiant effort in a tightly-contested affair with Toronto Ultra. Dealt another major blow after the loss of Alexx, who returned to the UK to deal with a family emergency, the Ravens pushed the Ultra all the way to Game 5, but fell 6-4 to Ultra on Moscow.
Seattle Surge joined the Ravens in the following match, with Owakening putting on a sublime showing for the Florida Mutineers to give them a series lead in the Control, before a dominant Raid Hardpoint sent them through to the Losers Round 2.
CDL Stage 1 Major brackets
The Call of Duty League used the Stage 1 standings to determine where teams would start in the Major, with Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe receiving a bye in the Winner’s Bracket after winning their respective groups.
The bottom six CDL Stage 1 start in the Loser’s Bracket, with Paris Legion and Minnesota ROKKR receiving a pass through to Loser’s Round 2.
Format & Info
- Location: Online
- Prize Pool: $500,000
- Format: Double-elimination bracket
- Seeding: Determined by Stage 1 standings
- Maps & Modes:
- Hardpoint: Checkmate, Crossroads, Garrison, Moscow, Raid
- Search & Destroy: Checkmate, Garrison, Miami, Moscow, Raid
- Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid
- Match format: Best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D)
Prize Pool and CDL Points Breakdown
Placement | Team | Prize ($USD) | CDL Points |
1 | $200,000 | 75 | |
2 | $120,000 | 60 | |
3 | $80,000 | 50 | |
4 | $40,000 | 40 | |
5-6 | $20,000 | 30 | |
5-6 | $20,000 | 30 | |
7-8 | $10,000 | 20 | |
7-8 | $10,000 | 20 | |
9-10 | $0 | 10 | |
9-10 | $0 | 10 | |
11-12 | Seattle Surge | $0 | 0 |
11-12 | London Royal Ravens | $0 | 0 |
CDL Stage 1 rosters
All 12 teams will be taking part in the CDL Stage 1 Major, as teams jockey for position in hopes of becoming the Stage 1 Winners, and taking the top prize of $200,000.
Team | Roster |
Dallas Empire | Crimsix, Shotzzy, Huke, iLLeY |
Atlanta FaZe | Simp, Cellium, aBeZy, Arcitys |
Florida Mutineers | Skyz, Owakening, Slacked, Neptune |
London Royal Ravens | Zed, Dylan. Seany, Zer0 |
LA Thieves | Kenny, SlasheR, TJHaly, Temp |
OpTic Chicago | Scump, FormaL, Envoy, Dashy |
Minesotta ROKKR | Accuracy, Attach, Priestahh, MajorManiak |
LA Guerrillas | SiLLY, Assault, Apathy, Vivid |
New York Subliners | Clayster, Asim, Diamondcon, Mack |
Paris Legion | AquA, Classic, Fire, Skrapz |
Seattle Surge | Octane, Gunless, Prestinni, Loony |
Toronto Ultra | Methodz, Bance, Cammy, CleanX |
Call of Duty
Every Call of Duty creator code: Streamers, pros, more
Call of Duty’s Support a Creator program allows players to support their favorite content creators and pros, so here’s every code you can use.
Activision is enabling fans to support their favorite Call of Duty pro players and content creators with the ‘Support a Creator’ program, so here’s everyone you can support through the Store.
With some of the biggest names in gaming playing and promoting Call of Duty, Activision has launched the ‘Support a Creator’ program. Here, CDL pro players, streamers, and YouTubers receive a cut of the profits made from purchases in the Call of Duty Store.
Across Modern Warfare, Warzone, and Black Ops Cold War, these creators and pros will receive $5 for every 10,000 CoD Points spent with their code inputted.
How to use CoD Support a Creator code
To support your favorite Call of Duty content creator or pro, you need to enter their code in the Store.
After purchasing CoD Points, make sure you have inputted one of the creator codes below before purchasing any bundles from the Store.
To select a creator to support:
- Launch Modern Warfare, Warzone, or Black Ops Cold War
- Navigate to the Store tab
- Select “Support a Creator”
- Input one of the creator codes below
- Purchase a Bundle or Battle Pass with your CoD Points
- Your selected creator or pro will now receive a portion of the profits from your purchase
These codes will expire after two weeks, so make sure to double-check you have a code inputted before making a purchase.
And as a reminder, enter these creator codes in all caps.
Twitch and YouTuber creator codes
The Support a Creator program was released in August 2020, and as it continues to develop, more and more creators are receiving codes.
Here are the creator codes for some of the biggest and most recognizable names in Call of Duty:
- FaZe Swagg: “SWAGG”
- TimTheTatman: “TIMTHETATMAN”
- TeeP: “TEEP”
- Spratt: “SPRATT”
- Symfuhny: “SYM”
- NuFo: “NUFO”
- NoisyButters: “BUTTERS”
- ShawnJGaming: “SHAWNJ”
- Vikkstar123: “VIKK”
- Michi: “MICHI”
- GoldGloveTV: “GOLDGLOVE”
- NICKMERCS: “MFAM”
- Drfit0r: “DRIFT0R”
- JackFrags: “JACKFRAGS”
- MarleyThirteen: “MARLEY”
- CouRage: “COURAGE”
- Chaos: “CHAOS”
- HusKerrs: “HUSKERRS”
- PrestigeIsKey: “PRESTIGE”
- KRNG Espresso: “ESPRESSO”
- Tejbz: “TEJBZ”
Call of Duty League players creator codes
A selection of “all-star” CDL pros have received creator codes. With the program continuing to develop, expect more players to be added as the 2021 Season develops.
Here is a list of the 2020 and 2021 Season’s CDL pro players creator codes:
- aBeZy: “ABEZY”
- Apathy: “APATHY”
- Arcitys: “ARCITYS”
- Attach: “ATTACH”
- Blazt: “BLAZT”
- Crimsix: “CRIM”
- Cammy: “CAMMY”
- Cellium: “CELLIUM”
- Clayser: “CLAY”
- CleanX: “CLEANX”
- Dashy: “DASHY”
- Denz: “DENZ”
- Enable: “ENABLE”
- Envoy: “ENVOY”
- FormaL: “FORMAL”
- GodRX: “GODRX”
- Huke: “HUKE”
- iLLeY: “ILLEY”
- KiSMET: “KISMET”
- Kuavo: “KUAVO”
- Mack: “MACK”
- Methodz: “METHODZ”
- Octane: “OCTANE”
- Scump: “SCUMP”
- Seany: “SEANY”
- Shotzzy: “SHOTZZY”
- SiLLY: “SILLY”
- Simp: “SIMP”
- Skrapz: “SKRAPZ”
- Skyz: “SKYZ”
- SlasheR: “SLASHER”
- Vivid: “VIVID”
- Owakening: “WAKE”
- Wuskin: “WUSKIN”
- ZooMaa: “ZOOMAA”
If you have a creator code and aren’t included here, please Tweet us @CharlieINTEL, and we’ll be delighted to add you to this list.
Image Credit: Activision / Zippo / Vikkstar / NICKMERCS
Call of Duty League
How to get Call of Duty League Stage 1 rewards
You can get in-game rewards such as calling cards and double XP.
Call of Duty League 2021’s Stage 1 Major event takes place March 3-7 and offers viewers a ton of free in-game items to earn, so here’s how to unlock the CDL Stage 1 viewership rewards.
Following the CDL Kickoff Classic, the Call of Duty League will officially kick off on February 11 with the Opening Weekend hosted by Atlanta FaZe.
With Dallas Empire looking to defend their title, the return of H3CZ’s OpTic, and newcomers LA Thieves looking to prove themselves, it’s shaping up to be a great year for competitive Call of Duty fans.
While watching the narratives of the year unfold, you can also earn free in-game rewards such as calling cards and double XP just for watching. Here’s how to get the CDL Stage 1 rewards.
How to earn CDL Stage 1 rewards
To earn the free in-game rewards for the CDL launch weekend, you must have an Activision account. If you don’t have one already, you can create one on Activision.com by heading to ‘register’ in the right-hand corner.
Link CoD account to YouTube
Rewards are earned by watching CDL Stage 1 through a YouTube account linked to Call of Duty.
To link your account on PC and mobile:
- Open YouTube.com or the YouTube app
- Select your profile photo and hit ‘settings’
- Click on ‘Connected Apps’
- Locate ‘Activision’ and hit ‘connect’
- Sign in to your Activision account
While signed in with your linked YouTube account, watch CDL matches on YouTube, CallofDutyLeague.com, or the COD companion app to earn the rewards.
CDL Stage 1 Major in-game rewards
And as you watch matches throughout Stage 1, you’ll earn Double XP and Double Weapon XP tokens to redeem for Black Ops Cold War and Warzone.
- Read more: Warzone to join Call of Duty League
For watching at least three hours of the Stage 1 Major in the first week of March, you can earn three competitive CoD themed calling cards and an emblem. With these, you can channel your inner Cellium by rocking the ‘Snaked’ calling card and taunt your opponents with the ‘salty’ emblem.
Image Credit: Activision