That was just the beginning for War zone esports, according to Activision’s head of leagues, Johanna Faries.
Activision
“It took us a long time in the off-season to think about what the next level proposition for War zone looks like CDL and the broader electronic sports community Call of Duty? ”Faries said. “In the coming months, I think we will have exciting things to share about what it means to us and what fans can expect, not just in 2021, but beyond. We are very, very happy to think that CDL is expanding business to the War zone conversation in a way that I think will be very exciting. “
The CDL is gearing up for its second season, after a debut marked by a global pandemic and a myriad of technical problems as the league made the rapid transition to a fully virtual format. Throughout 2020, professional games were hampered by server problems, lost players and hurried substitutions, reaching the weekend of the championship.
Take the London Home Series finals between the Dallas Empire and the Paris Legion in July as an example: teams were able to test and vet certain servers in advance, but the only sources available were in California, Texas or Illinois. The teams ended up playing on the Texas servers, giving the Dallas team a clear potential advantage in terms of latency. The Dallas Empire won the series, but even team star James “Clayster” Eubanks called it “so unfair”.
Hey, we won, so I can’t be roasted for being salty, but it’s completely unfair that the server versus Paris selections are CA, TX and IL. We veto CA because they are 4 CA, they veto IL because it is the furthest from all of them, and they are stuck playing on a TX host. So unfair.
– NYSL Clayster (@Clayster) July 19, 2020
Faries did not elaborate on the location or speed of the servers, but she said the league is working with teams to build a more robust ecosystem for the 2021 season. It officially starts on February 11, but first there is the Kickoff Classic on 23 and 24 January, with six preseason games voted by fans among the top teams.
“There has been a considerable increase in server support,” said Faries. “And, again, I find a good work plan flow, if you want, in which everyone knows where the servers are, what the contingency plans would be like if something happened halfway. All signs point to being ready for this. “