Seattle gets it first pro esports team in new Call of Duty League
Sep 13, 2019, 10:11 AM | Updated: 10:13 am
Seattle officially has its first professional esports team.
A Seattle-based team will be fielded in the newly franchised Call of Duty League. Canucks Sports & Entertainment, in partnership with Enthusiast Gaming, made the announcement Friday morning that an agreement has been reached with Activision Blizzard on the formation of the team.
.@Canucks Sports & Entertainment, in partnership with @WeAreEnthusiast, announces that Seattle will be the home to a new @CallofDuty esports team. https://t.co/q1DAPDHbop pic.twitter.com/LNdKYOPNK6
— Call of Duty, Seattle (@SeattleCOD) September 13, 2019
The Call of Duty League will debut in 2020. In addition to Seattle, the league will feature teams from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Florida, London, Minnesota, New York, Paris and Toronto as well as two Los Angeles franchises.
The Seattle team’s day-to-day operations and home games will be based in Seattle. The Aquilini Group and Canucks Sports & Entertainment will oversee team operation, while player procurement will be led by Luminosity Gaming.
“Esports has shown extraordinary growth and we’re excited to continue to be at the forefront with a new Call of Duty esports franchise,” said Francesco Aquilini, Managing Director of the Aquilini Group, in a press release. “We are thrilled with the performance of the Vancouver Titans in the Overwatch League in their inaugural season, and with the continued support and expertise of our partners at Luminosity and Enthusiast Gaming, we believe the new Call of Duty esports league is also well positioned for success. Along with the Titans, we look forward to continuing our engagement with the esports community in the Pacific Northwest with this new Seattle-based Call of Duty franchise, and delivering on our goal to create first-class fan experiences.”
“With our experience in building successful teams with Luminosity Gaming and having been involved with Activision Blizzard with the Vancouver Titans since the beginning, we are excited to get started and develop a winning team and culture,” added Steve Maida, Esports President for Enthusiast Gaming.
