North American esports organization Cloud9 is working on a deal with Call of Duty League team New York Subliners, according to a report in Sheep Esports, citing sources familiar with the situation.
According to Sheep Esports, Cloud9 is in the process of finalizing a partnership that would see the 2023 Championship CDL team represent the organization at the Esports World Cup in August in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III leg of the competition.
The report goes on to claim that Cloud9 may also be considering acquiring the Subliners as part of a second phase later down the road. What that deal would look like is unknown, but mergers and acquisitions related to Call of Duty League are not unheard of; G2 Esports made its way into the league by working out a deal with Minnesota ROKKR owner Kroenke Entertainment & Sports, and OpTic Gaming merged with Envy Gaming, with the entity ultimately holding one slot in the league under the OpTic Texas banner. Any merger would, of course, need approval from league owner Activision Blizzard.
In April, Activision Blizzard announced that it would waive any past franchise fees owed by teams and return payments for fees paid this year, as well as provide new ways for teams to generate revenue. This newer and more financially advantageous atmosphere is likely attractive to Cloud9, who competed in the COD World League (the precursor to the CDL) from 2015 – 2017.
The interest in signing a Call of Duty roster to compete in the Esports World Cup club competition makes sense, given that teams like Cloud9 that are in the Esports World Cup Club Support Program receive financial incentives to sign new rosters for games that are part of this multi-title event. The club competition is a multi-title event that rewards clubs based on their performance in participating games, with the top point earner taking home $7M USD.
The Esports Advocate reached out to Cloud9 management prior to the publication of this story and will update it should we receive a response. We’ll have more on this story as new information becomes available.