LA-based esports organization 100 Thieves has confirmed its return to competitive Call of Duty, joining the Call of Duty League in the 2021 season. The organization will compete under the LA Thieves name, following the league’s geolocated team name format. 100 Thieves left the competitive Call of Duty scene last year, prior to the start of the CDL’s inaugural season.

100 Thieves CEO Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag is a former Call of Duty competitor, who later founded the organization in 2017. 100 Thieves fielded a team in the Call of Duty World League in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, winning the London and Anaheim events in 2019 and placing second in that year’s championship.

The organization suddenly left the scene as the game transitioned to the Call of Duty League in 2020, reportedly due to high franchise costs attributed to the league. 100 Thieves now returns to professional Call of Duty, taking over OpTic Gaming’s former Los Angeles franchise spot.

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"We won two Call of Duty championships in 2019 so our year away reminded us how amazing Call of Duty fans are, and how much we missed them,” says Nadeshot. “Our fans deserve the best Call of Duty team in the world - and we’re gonna do everything in our power to give it to them.”

Along with the announcement of the LA Thieves franchise name, 100 Thieves also revealed they will retain the former OpTic LA roster. Kenny "Kenny" Williams, Austin "SlasheR" Liddicoat, and Thomas “TJHaLy” Haly make up the main lineup, with 19-year-old Zack “Drazah” Jordan joining as a substitute. 100 Thieves’ head of esports operations and former Call of Duty competitor Eric "Muddawg" Sanders has joined the team as general manager.

“We were impressed by the Call of Duty League’s performance in its first year,” said 100 Thieves president and COO John Robinson. “The YouTube partnership, record ratings, and the addition of Warzone events showed us that Activision Blizzard Esports has the ambition and ability to make the Call of Duty League a world class esport.”

The LA Thieves, along with the rest of the CDL, will compete in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which is set to release on November 13th. The 2021 Call of Duty League season is expected to begin sometime early next year.

Source: 100 Thieves

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