Activision's top-tier Call of Duty organized play is currently concentrated in the Call of Duty League, which replaced the Call of Duty World League back in 2020. This new organization followed the format of sister company Blizzard's Overwatch League, which itself took after other professional sports by having city-based franchises. While it didn't take long for fans to sour on the new league, it had been the only option for high-level play since it was established.
OpTic Texas's Hector "H3CZ" Rodriguez and Seth "Scump" Abner have filed a lawsuit against Activision, looking for a whopping $680 million in damages after they had alleged that the publisher had essentially turned the pro Call of Duty scene into its monopoly. In their lawsuit, the players claimed that Activision held too much control over high-level professional Call of Duty and both franchises and players, enriching the company while the pros did the hard work.
Activision has an unlawful monopoly over Call of Duty professional leagues and tournaments, some of the game’s top players alleged in a Los Angeles federal court. https://t.co/6962DsmDxM
— Bloomberg Law (@BLaw) February 16, 2024
The main complaint against Activision is that it allegedly forced pro Call of Duty players to flock to its own league by blocking other organizations, and then allegedly charged franchises an exorbitant sum of $27.5 million to participate. In turn, this move is said to have barred the players and teams from making money off of brand sponsorships and endorsements. Among many allegations, Rodriguez, who owns OpTic Gaming (which has the Texas franchise), claims that he was forced to partner with investors who wanted a 92.5% ownership stake in his company, and then pay the fee to join the Call of Duty League.
Most of all, Activision is accused of not seeking consultation or approval from players for its new esports setup. According to the lawsuit, this left everyone in the scene no choice but to agree with the company's imposed system in order to keep making money from playing the game. The lawsuit basically accuses Activision of exploiting pros' passion for a popular, exciting, and highly competitive game like Call of Duty, and the players want to get their due for the time and effort they spent mastering it.
This lawsuit is another major blow to Activision's competitive endeavors, following major sponsors like T-Mobile pulling out from the Call of Duty and Overwatch Leagues in the wake of the Blizzard scandals years ago. Call of Duty's massive fanbase may still be able to keep the league going, but with two big names speaking out, it will be interesting to see what happens.
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Related Forum: Call of Duty Forum
Source: https://gamerant.com/activision-sued-why-call-of-duty-league/
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