The arms race to determine the world’s hottest FPS esport is about to go nuclear.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has made some major moves in 2014. A recently-announced $1 million ESL ESEA Pro League topped off almost a year of record growth. Rival shooter Call of Duty has also been enjoying a period of relative stability, though mainly in North America through the efforts of Major League Gaming and Activision. In other regions, however, Call of Duty has been lagging behind.
All of that is about to change. London-based Gfinity released plans over the weekend to host a European Call of Duty Pro League. The league will consist of a series of divisions, with “Premier” including the best teams in Europe.
Just below that will be the Championship division, where challenging teams will fight for the chance to make it into Premier. Both divisions will feature significant prize pools, along with Pro Points used for advancement and qualification to various other Call of Duty tournaments. League play begins in June, with qualifiers beginning in late May.
Gfinity also promises extensive broadcast plans, with three matches a week scheduled to get airtime. These matches will all be broadcast via MLG.tv, and, due to the league’s “expected multinational viewership,” will feature streaming partnerships to provide coverage in English, French, and German.
Many details are still unclear, as are the teams that will be participating, but with £14,000 on the line, Call of Duty fans should have a lot to look forward to in the coming months.
