Oct. 28 isn’t that far away. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is coming and the Call of Duty League could use a popular game -- and a competitive game.
Just the title could inspire nostalgia. The original Modern Warfare 2, which released in 2009 when OpTic Gaming and Call of Duty esports legend Seth “Scump” Abner was 14 years old, was the highest-selling CoD title at the time. It’s been passed up several times since, but Modern Warfare 2 offered some of the most iconic weapons and gameplay ever for the saga.
The upcoming Modern Warfare 2 could lift the Call of Duty League in a variety of ways, if done right. It could put more eyes on the esport, inspire new generations of professional players and please the current batch of pros.
It just might not be easy. Here are three ways Modern Warfare 2 could help the Call of Duty League.
Ranked, please
Call of Duty is commonly criticized for not giving attention to its esports scene. For recent example, Vanguard released to the public without a ranked mode. It has one now, but pro players wanted it upon release.
Modern Warfare (2019), never had a ranked mode. That’s not a standard Activision Blizzard can set for its fourth Call of Duty League season. Organizations had $20 million-plus buy-in prices to be in the franchised esports league. There’s no reason for resources within the game to not reflect that.
Ranked mode can do a lot of the heavy lifting when building an audience. Casual players can see how they stack up against their peers, and the pro players. The more players competition in their free time, the more likely they want to improve.
What’s a good way to learn about the game? Watching Atlanta FaZe and OpTic Texas play on Saturdays.
Modern Warfare 2 needs a strong ranked mode. With no delay.
Inspiring beta
A beta version of the game doesn’t need to be perfectly polished. The point is to figure out what can change about the game and how the audience is enjoying it. So mistakes can be made and forgiven.
But a beta can also be an opportunity to drum up the hype for an esports league the will directly compete.
Call of Duty League Champs will likely happen in early August. That’s with Major IV ending July 17. Call of Duty beta versions had September releases in the past, so there may not be the same kind of opportunity there as with the Overwatch League and Overwatch 2.
But there can still be tournaments. And Activision Blizzard could put some on with prize cash. Having CDL pros compete on the new game would offer reasons to watch the game, and the players, live on Twitch or YouTube.
That’s a lob of an opportunity.
A great game
Well, yeah. Of course the Call of Duty League would benefit from playing on a great game. And opinions are always going to be subjective, especially when considering the different requests from professional players and casuals. OpTic Texas wouldn’t benefit from a good story mode.
CDL teams need the competitive side of the game to be polished. That’s a big ask considering pros were unhappy about Vanguard months into the game’s lifespan.
Pros would be satisfied with balanced weapons and perks and a solid set of maps. There will always be items to be picky about. That’s inevitable when pros play the game for more than 50 hours a week. But good maps, quality discussions between players and the game’s developers could go a long way.
That relationship counts when talking about the quality of the game. If players feel heard, see swift adjustments and enjoy the maps, there’s no reason to believe it wouldn’t help the upcoming Call of Duty League season.
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