It’s about to be amateur hour for the Call of Duty franchise. Activision Blizzard’s announcement of Call of Duty Challengers serves as the game’s official amateur competition for the 2020 esports season. Players around the country will not only get a chance to play for a significant cash prize and exposure, but a chance to break into the rapidly evolving Call of Duty League.

Challengers currently has nearly $1 million set aside for both online and offline tournaments. With the offline tournaments being equivalent to premier events, players can boost their standings for those events with online tournaments. For players hoping to test their skills and prove their mettle, registration for the amateur circuit begins on October 30, just a few days before the online ladder system and first tournaments go live.

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Activision Blizzard’s league is an excellent way to build on the restructured format of the Call of Duty League and their official backing should be encouraging for those who are looking to enter esports competition for the title. With Call of Duty League events already gaining traction with the announcement of official teams, there will be plenty of networking and scouting opportunities for players and sponsors alike.

As of now, there are nearly 20 confirmed franchises with New York, Dallas, and Toronto recently announcing teams. Teams will travel to the hosting teams arena for matches, where there will be plenty of access for potential Challengers to get involved in the action. Despite the middling reception to recent entries in the series outside of the Black Ops games, one would be hard pressed to name a more recognizable game in the industry today.

This is an interesting development that comes at a time where not only is the Call of Duty League expanding, but so too is highlighting amateur and collegiate gaming across the country. Organizations such as Nerd Street Gamers and various collegiate bodies are helping gamers on the path, but a major developer such as Activision Blizzard trying to put their best foot forward in the amateur pool can only mean bigger and better things in the esports world.

Source: Esports Insider

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