Call of Duty esports is under significant criticism right now. The Call of Duty League has its preseason kickoff event Jan. 21 through Jan. 23, but Vanguard hasn’t pleased professional players. From bugs, lack of quality competitive maps and puzzling structure, pros recently sounded off on their issues with Call of Duty’s latest title.
Former OpTic Call of Duty legend Matthew “FormaL” Piper left his CoD career behind to compete in Halo Infinite — he already competed for a Halo Championship Series LAN in Raleigh, N.C.
Piper recently joined The Dallas Morning News for a phone call to talk about Call of Duty, Halo and his own decisions as an esports pro.
Answers have been edited for length and brevity.
Call of Duty didn’t magically become a frustrating game to play for professionals. When did you start to lose that passion for Call of Duty?
Piper: ”There was a time period when I felt like I could talk to people over at Activision and my words meant something to them and they were going to do something with the information I’d give them. I learned over time that that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t a specific CoD or moment it happened, I just noticed little things over the years.
“I’m sure they meant well, it’s just that they either didn’t have the power to act on it or wanted me to be happy. It didn’t feel like my voice meant that much.”
You guys have talked about a lot of these things on OpTic podcasts. Why do you think the floodgates opened and more players are feeling comfortable about criticizing the game?
Piper: ”That’s a good question. From my perspective, I don’t really know all the frustrations the CoD players have been dealing with. I have an idea with the Krampus thing, the maps being bad and squad spawns. I don’t know why more people feel more comfortable talking about it, but I know it’s good.
“They should voice their opinions and you shouldn’t be forced to play a game you don’t like. Even if you don’t think there’s a chance it will get changed, you may as well let people know you’re not OK with it. Sometimes they will try to silence you if you go too overboard, which is fine because you don’t want people bashing your game... I’m just hoping [CoD players] get some sort of change. At the end of the day, everybody wants this to succeed.”
Has competing in Halo instead had any impact on your mental health? Winning in tournaments probably helps, but how much more are you enjoying the game?
Piper: ”It’s a breath of fresh air, honestly. It’s been about 10 years since I truly grinded a Halo game. I played a little bit of Halo 5 and a little bit of others, but nothing like how I’ve been playing Halo Infinite. Obviously, I went to the event and have been taking it pretty seriously. It’s rejuvenated my passion to play. Over the years playing Call of Duty, I just wasn’t giving it my best effort and I knew that.
“But, with Halo, it feels more natural. I like the game more, so my passion comes out when I play it.”
How does Call of Duty get out of the hole it’s in with its esports?
Piper: ”There’s a multitude of things. First and foremost, you want a good game at the foundation. If that’s not the case, you want to be able to talk to the developers and make it the best game possible. I’m sure there is a medium somewhere where higher ups at Activison and the competitive CoD players are also happy. It’s not like it’s one way or another, it doesn’t have to be that way.
“I think there’s a place with middle ground. They could say, ‘I know you guys have your [gentleman’s agreements] and stuff in place and we don’t like that. And then CoD players can say they understand and can use more of the guns if that’s the case. But, I think the first step is to open communication. Have some outlet where you can have some support. That’s what the players want, to feel like they are being heard. Because, right now, they just feel like they are all muted on Twitter.
“Maybe it’s everyone coming out and saying, ‘Sorry guys, the last couple years, we haven’t done a great job.’ Nobody is to blame, we can move forward and be successful and fruitful if you want to be. But, I think it’s going to take some form of communication.”
Let’s say there comes a Call of Duty game that’s really good. Would you consider going back?
Piper: ”At a time during my CoD career, people were asking me the same thing about Halo. I’m giving you the same answer I gave them. I don’t know. It depends where my head is at. I didn’t see myself wanting to compete in Halo at all, really, until Infinite came out and I really like the game.
“I’m still really competitive and I have that itch. I don’t want to give that up yet. There’s a future of me competing, but who knows what I will be playing? I’m such a competitive person, so I’m always challenging myself. Maybe there will be a CoD that entices me to come back and play. Who knows?”
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