Call of Duty League Could Be Forced Into YouTube Deal

For the first time since the Call of Duty League was introduced, numbers are on the rise.

Even amid the back-to-back retirements of two legendary players like Seth "Scump" Abner and Ian "Crimsix" Porter, the break-away from broadcasting exclusively to YouTube after their three-year deal finished has only seen viewership flourish back on Twitch.

Now, despite having record-breaking eyes on Call of Duty esports, with numbers even beating the "golden age" statistics, the League might be forced into haemorrhaging this success by signing another YouTube deal worth millions.

Call of Duty League Is Losing Sponsors

In 2020, Activision penned a $160 million deal with YouTube to have exclusive streaming rights for Call of Duty esports for the next three years. With this deal now up, Activision has to rethink its economic approach. Despite the perks of being on Twitch, reports suggested another YouTube deal was coming.

While the majority of the community has rallied against this, it appears that we might have no choice but to agree on another one. According to respected journalist Jacob Hale, the New York Subliners could no longer afford to host the CDL's Major IV this season due to Mountain Dew's league sponsorship falling through.

The clear lack of funding from sponsors might just be forcing the developers' hands into another lucrative deal to sell CoD Esports' soul. 

Scump and Methodz Claim Moving The CDL To YouTube Is A Blatant 'F**k You' From Activision

With another pending move to YouTube becoming quite the talking point, the ever-vocal OpTic Gaming content creators Scump and Anthony "Methodz" Zinni have claimed that this is a "blatant f**k you" to the partnered teams if Activision follows through.

"Call of Duty has changed our lives, but, they didn't even give us a chance [on Twitch]. It's growing, good things are coming from it: our watch party, other watch parties. It's growing for the first time in forever and if they pull the rug it's a blatant f**k you," claimed Methodz.

"It's a big f**k you," agreed Scump. In the meantime, Call of Duty will stay on Twitch, presumably until the end of this season at least.

But after already topping charts for viewership in games outside of the reward-boosted World Championships, it's time Activision looked intrinsically for its funding approach.