The single biggest problem most people have with the CWL is the PS4 exclusivity and the skill gap that comes from using a controller over a keyboard and mouse. When some people used third-party devices to play console Overwatch with keyboard and mouse, Jeff Kaplan, Vice President of Blizzard, publicly denounced the unfair advantage.
For now, PC fans have only tournaments such as the Doritos Bowl and Dr.Disrespects “Code Red” Tournament series. Followers of the CWL have rumored that the PS4 exclusivity contract will be ending after the December championships.
Call of Duty World League Logo
Dr.DisRespect had around 47K viewers average for his Call of Duty Blackout tournament with a $20,000 payout, Shroud averaged around 41k views during this. Doritos Bowl had approximately 65K average viewers, with Shroud getting another 60k. Other streamers such as Lupo and CouRage also had several thousand throughout the stream for a prize pool of $250,000. The highest average Twitch viewership for the CWL was 116K average views for a prize pool of $1,500,000. Views alone show an increase in care for both high impact names and higher skill levels. It is an obvious choice to bring increase tournaments for PC even with smaller prize pools based only on viewership.
Ex-NFL executive Johanna Faries has been hired on by Activision as the “Head of Call of Duty Esports.” The president of Activision says Johanna excels at “leading key business initiatives and driving fan engagement.” Which for the CWL should mean new league standards and online viewership. The success of The Overwatch League is the standard to which the CWL will be compared. Activision will be at a large disadvantage if they do not use the current popularity of battle royale to draw in viewers for the CWL. The obvious advantage of the PC platform to allow streamers to promote the CWl for Activision should enact changes soon.
All viewer counts were taken from https://twitchtracker.com.
Featured Image Courtesy of callofduty.com
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
