World at war, indeed.
Call of Duty publisher Activision announced today the creation of a new worldwide esports league for the popular first-person shooter series. The Call of Duty World League will feature competitions in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. This shows that Activision is aggressively trying to capitalize on the growing esports scene. Professional gaming is expected to generate $278 million this year, according to the latest Global Growth of Esports Report from industry intelligence firm Newzoo.
“Three years ago, we held the first Call of Duty Championship to showcase the dedication and skill of Call of Duty players around the world,” noted Eric Hirshberg, chief executive officer of Activision Publishing, Inc, in a press release sent to GamesBeat. “Since then, esports has become a global phenomenon with more than 120 million people watching online competitive gaming each year and Call of Duty continues to lead as the top console esports franchise in the world.”
The tournaments will feature Call of Duty: Black Ops III, the upcoming installment in the franchise that comes out on November 6 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. The franchise has had yearly releases since 2005, with each title easily ranking among that year’s best-selling.