SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Call of Duty League™ today announced sponsorship deals with top brands for its inaugural season including MTN DEW® AMP® GAME FUEL®, PlayStation®, Astro Gaming and, SCUF Gaming, returning partners in Call of Duty esports. Also added to the 2020 season is the U.S. Airforce.
“This coming weekend in Minneapolis we kick off the next chapter of Call of Duty esports, and we couldn’t be prouder to have these incredible brands as partners for the inaugural Call of Duty League season,” said Brandon Snow, Activision Blizzard Esports League Chief Revenue Officer. “Our partners not only support the players on their mission to win the first Call of Duty League Championship, they provide our fans around the world a better experience while attending Home Series matches or streaming at home.”
MTN DEW® AMP® GAME FUEL® returns to Call of Duty esports in a multi-year agreement which solidifies the brand as the official beverage of the Call of Duty League, the official beverage of the Call of Duty League City Circuit™ and the official beverage of the Call of Duty Challengers™. The sponsorship extends to the 2022 season of the Call of Duty League.
“We’re honored to continue our partnership with the Call of Duty League in celebration of players around the world and their love of the iconic game,” said Erin Chin, Senior Director, Marketing, MTN DEW. “As MTN DEW AMP GAME FUEL enters another banner year, we’re thrilled to keep delivering unique partnerships and best-in-class experiences for the gamers and fans who inspired the product’s creation.”
PlayStation® returns to Call of Duty esports in 2020 with PlayStation®4 as the official platform of the Call of Duty League and the official partner of Call of Duty Challengers. At League Weekend events – including the Call of Duty League Launch Weekend – PlayStation® will be the presenting sponsor of Call of Duty Challengers competition. As part of the path to pro amateur competition structure, PlayStation® will present the Challengers Points Leaderboard on CallofDutyLeague.com as well sponsor key video content, including the post-match on-stage series “Instant Reaction.”
ASTRO Gaming extends its sponsorship of Call of Duty esports through the 2022 season as the Official Headset and MixAmp of the Call of Duty League. In addition to ASTRO Headsets and MixAmps on the mainstage of all events, the company will sponsor a new video content series for the Call of Duty League and will sponsor the Call of Duty League season MVP award. ASTRO Listen-In segments will be featured in every match played this season. Finally, ASTRO is producing a special edition Call of Duty League A40 TR Headset and A40 Speaker Tags for each pro team.
"We're proud to extend our long-term partnership with Call of Duty esports in the new Call of Duty League. We're committed to providing all competitors with immersive game audio and precise voice communication," said Aron Drayer, Vice President of Marketing at ASTRO Gaming. "We're also excited about creating a special edition headset for the league and all of the new city-based teams."
Pre-Order your CDL A40 TR Headset and CDL A40 Team Speaker Tags here today @ https://www.astrogaming.com/en-us/customize/special-editions/call-of-duty-league.html
SCUF Gaming will continue its longstanding sponsorship in Call of Duty esports through the 2021 season as the official controller of the Call of Duty League. SCUF will activate throughout League Weekend events and continue its sponsorship of the documentary short series “Behind the Controller” and produce official, special edition Call of Duty League controllers for each of the twelve franchise teams.
SCUF Gaming "SCUF®" is a creator of high-performance gaming controllers and provides accessories and customized gaming controllers for console and PC that are used by top professional gamers as well as casual gamers. Built to specification, SCUF controllers offer a number of functional and design features custom built to increase hand use and improve gameplay.
“Both esports and Call of Duty are deeply rooted in our core DNA so we are delighted that the day has finally come for Call of Duty League to launch. We couldn’t be prouder or more excited to be a foundational partner and to continue innovating the way gamers use a controller to help them perform at the highest level,” said Duncan Ironmonger, CEO & Founder of SCUF Gaming. “Since inception, we’ve been dedicated to supporting the growth of esports; creating the features that have made SCUF an extension of the player to maximize their performance. After 17 years in the making, we’re excited that Call of Duty League Launch Weekend has finally come.”
New to Call of Duty esports is the U.S. Air Force. As part of a one-year agreement, the U.S. Air Force will activate on-site at League weekend events and be featured in League broadcasts. The U.S. Air Force and Call of Duty League will offer fans an opportunity to experience flight simulators in technology-enabled experiential activations for Call of Duty fans. The U.S. Air Force will also be sponsors of a "Match Metrics" broadcast feature, as on-air talent leads pregame examination of the teams that are about to square off.
The Call of Duty League season begins in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the Call of Duty League Launch Weekend – hosted by the Minnesota RØKKR franchise – on January 24, 2020.
The Call of Duty League follows a home-vs-away format with 5-vs-5 professional match play, with 12 teams in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Florida, London, Los Angeles (2), Minnesota, New York, Paris, Seattle, and Toronto. Throughout the season, each team will host “Home Series” weekends in their market, with multiple pro teams competing at each event.
Call of Duty League also announced Outerstuff, an industry leader in branded apparel, is the developer of official player kits and fan apparel for the 2020 season. In addition, Call of Duty League has signed Mitchell & Ness for authentic, league-licensed headwear across all teams in the league.
Call of Duty League fans worldwide can now access all of their favorite team gear from Outerstuff and Mitchell & Ness, and other League Licensees, through the official Call of Duty League Store at Shop.CallofDutyLeague.com, a Fanatics experience, both domestically and internationally. This further broadens the long-term relationship between Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group (ABCPG) and Fanatics, the global leader for licensed merchandise.
About Call of Duty League
Call of Duty League™ is the official esports league of the Call of Duty franchise, from publisher Activision Publishing (“Activision”). The inaugural season of Call of Duty League includes 12 teams from four countries and spotlights the best Call of Duty esports players from around the world. The Call of Duty League launches in 2020 and will feature fresh ways for pro players, amateurs, and fans to come together around one of the world’s most beloved games. To learn more about the Call of Duty League, visit callofdutyleague.com.
About Activision Blizzard Esports
Activision Blizzard Esports (ABE) is responsible for the development, operation, and commercialization of Activision Blizzard’s professional gaming properties including the Overwatch League™, the Call of Duty® League™, Call of Duty Challengers™, Hearthstone Masters, the StarCraft II World Championship Series, and the World of Warcraft Arena World Championship and Mythic Dungeon International, among others. ABE also operates Tespa, the leader in collegiate esports. It is ABE’s vision to be the most innovative, scalable, and valuable developer of global competitive entertainment.
About Activision
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world and is a division of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), a S&P 500 company. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com or by following @Activision.
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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Blizzard’s expectations, plans, intentions, or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the dates, features and locations of the Call of Duty League and the Call of Duty League Launch Weekend, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Blizzard’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
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