The London-based franchise for the upcoming Call of Duty League will be known as the London Royal Ravens, parent organization ReKTGlobal has officially announced.
The Royal Ravens will be managed by Michael "ODEE" O'Dell, founder of Dignitas, who joined ReKTGlobal in July. The team has numerous famous investors, such as DJs Steve Aoki and Nicky Romero.
Their official colors appear to be red, blue and black. The roster is comprised of Brad "Wuskin" Marshall, Jordan "Jurd" Crowley, Rhys "Rated" Price, Matthew "Skrapz" Marshall and Dylan "Dylan" Henderson, all of whom previously competed in the non-franchised Call of Duty World League. The coaches will be Joseph "Joee" Pinnington as Head Coach, Shane "ShAnE" McKerral as Strategic Coach and James "Dominate" Batz as Assistant Coach. Between the players and the coaching staff every region of the UK is represented by the team's roster, meaning the franchised team truly represents the region they play for.
According to the team's press release, their name is inspired by the legend of the Tower Ravens. According to British folklore, the Kingdom of London will fall if the six resident ravens ever leave the Tower of London. The legend is said to have originated during the reign of King Charles II in the 17th century, and a Ravenmaster still tends to ravens in the tower to this day.
"Our home region is known for their pride and their extreme enthusiasm for the Call of Duty game franchise and the esports industry. When they cheer for the home team, we know they will be proud," the press release says.
While the London Royal Ravens are the first team to officially be announced, a series of leaks on Twitter last week supposedly revealed the names of all the teams. Since London Royal Ravens was on the list it's looking more likely that all the leaked names will be accurate.
The team already has over 20,000 followers on Twitter and has released its first line of merchandise. Eager fans can also sign up for the team's newsletter on their website.
The Call of Duty World League will begin in 2020 with 11 other franchised teams, who will compete for a prize of $6 million. So far the Royal Ravens, an unannounced Paris team, and an unannounced Toronto team are the only teams to be franchised outside the U.S.
Source: Dexerto