The enthralling Call of Duty World Championships usually ushers in a few months of relatively limited action until the release of the new title. On the contrary, recent days have witnessed some of the highest CoD Twitter and Reddit traffic of the year. While “off-season” roster swaps usually occur strictly behind the scenes, fans are lapping up leaked intelligence on an unprecedented scale.
The “CoDBurner” is the individual in question. Under the Reddit username “codburner2018mania“, the enigma is revealing reliable typically-prohibited information on a daily basis. A “burner” refers to a throwaway, alternate account, protecting the identity of the arcane one. The motive is unclear, but professionals do not seem best pleased. Who is the CoDBurner and will they be caught?
Insider Intel
The CoDBurner emerged in April 2018, during the mid-season roster swaps. They posted a short comment detailing some changes, which seemed unlikely at the time. Sure enough, 80% of the predictions came to fruition in the coming weeks. April 26th brought the infamous “intel on OG” post, detailing imminent changes to the reigning world champions.
The information was taken with a heavy grain of salt at the time, but roster moves, as described, were announced just over one week later. Pros were surprised and concerned by the depth of knowledge the CoDBurner appears to have access to, but nobody could lock down a name. Heads did turn to eUnited coach BrianSaintt due to a scoreboard screenshot leaked by the burner, but no solid proof was obtained.
While the intelligence is hugely exciting for fans, showing the inner politics of roster changes is potentially damaging for organizations and contracts. Especially as CoDBurner does not shy away from detailing buyout figures and player salaries, whether or not they are fully accurate. The burner took a break from Reddit after the dust had settled, returning with a bang on August 29th.
If we uncover the identity of the codburner they must be exiled immediately
— Anthony Wheeler (@NAMELESS) September 2, 2018
No Laughing Matter
The CoDBurner has been active every day since, posting ever-evolving leaks. FaZe’s Tommy “ZooMaa” Paparratto admitted the burner is “very credible” and “80%” accurate. As the rumors’ reliability have been verified, and have grown increasingly closer to home, efforts to identify the burner have ramped up. ZooMaa has hosted multiple streams with other pros in an attempt to investigate his identity. IP addresses are rumored to have been tapped to determine a rough location and narrow down suspects.
The burner has “taken precautions” to keep their ID safe, but that hasn’t stopped some. Reddit user /u/theeBlueShoe created a detailed post claiming OpTic’s Anthony “Methodz” Zinni is the enigma. He used timelines, writing styles and other clues to piece together the picture, although Methodz swiftly denied the allegations.
If the CoDBurner is discovered, their reputation will face harsh consequences. Leaking such important and personal information on a huge scale is a hard position to recover from. However, considering their access to a wide array of intel, it has to be somebody close to the professionals. Surely, there can only be few suspects, unless Bryan “Apathy” Zhelyazkov’s suspicions are correct.
Everyone is digging way to deep into this. Here is the real answer… the guy has hacked multiple pros accounts but instead of using them he just lurks in their DMs and obtains all the information he can. That’s how he’s getting a lot of intel. Boom case solved.
— LAG Apathy (@Apathy_BZ) September 3, 2018
Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat alludes to a now-common conspiracy theory: the pros have a part to play. Could the burner be an inside job to keep eyes and attention on Call of Duty? There’s no proof, and there probably never will be. Despite this, there’s no doubt that the off-season and future tournaments will be all the spicier with the extra background knowledge of rivalries. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Keep up with the CoDBurner’s latest information here.
Featured image courtesy of @nlckarts.
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