Sources tell Sports Business Journal esports reporter Kevin Hitt that Infinite Reality-owned Call of Duty League franchise London Royal Ravens will be moving to the West. Rumors reported earlier this month at other esports media outlets such as Esports News UK suggested that the team might be moved to Madrid and rebranded under another IR-owned esports franchise— KOI. You may recall that Rogue was rolled into that organization and rebranded as KOI last year.
The report doesn’t provide timing on this possible move.
According to Hitt’s reporting, the London Royal Ravens could move to Charlotte, North Carolina next year, but alternate locations are being considered including Mexico City, Mexico, and Washington, DC.
Should the organization move to North America, it would mark the end of Call of Duty League having any presence in Europe; you may recall that Paris Legion was moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, last summer and was rebranded as Vegas Legion.
It was clear that changes were afoot at the Ravens earlier this month when it was revealed that Infinite Reality Chief Gaming Officer Michael O’Dell was “let go” by the company. O’Dell joined ReKTGlobal in July 2019 as chief gaming officer, a role he stayed in until this month, transitioning to Infinite Reality when ReKTGlobal was acquired by the company in an all-stock deal (valued at $470M USD) in July of 2022. O’Dell focused his efforts on Call of Duty League team London Royal Ravens and KOI Esports..
