Misfits Gaming Group’s Call of Duty League (CDL) team the Florida Mutineers has been rebranded as the Miami Heretics as part of a deal with Spanish esports organization Team Heretics.
Financial terms of this deal were not disclosed, but the “transaction to rebrand the Florida Mutineers to the Miami Heretics,” also sees Heretics become an equity partner in the franchise, according to a release. Heretics will handle content and marketing for the team, while Misfits will continue to run the team’s daily operations and handle commercialization. Both parties will also work together on competitive strategy.
In a post published on social media Thursday, the team’s new management issued the following statement:
“We are humbled and thrilled to be back in the league. Miami Heretics is here and couldn’t be more excited. In the first place, we want to thank Florida Mutineers for the great work they have done with this franchise.
“Miami Heretics is here to continue their legacy and bring back the spirit of the Heretics brand to Call of Duty. We don’t just represent the city of Miami or the Spanish and Latino community, but every person that loves COD with the same passion we do.”
A subsequent post from the organization confirms that it will keep the current Mutineers roster.
The move by Misfits to back away from CDL is not surprising, given that the company has shifted its focus away from esports over the last couple of years and towards influencer-driven content creation and game development related to popular games such as Roblox and Minecraft. And while Misfits has not said one way or the other, it is expected that it will take the $6M USD payment being offered by Activision Blizzard to walk away from its other franchised league commitment, Overwatch League and its team Florida Mayhem.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with additional information at 5:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 24.
