Misfits Gaming secures Call of Duty franchise spot

Misfits Gaming has announced it has acquired the Florida slot in the upcoming Call of Duty franchised league.

The Miami-based esports organisation owns Florida Mayhem, a franchise in Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch League.

In a release, Misfits Gaming explained the decision to join the league: “Our experience with the Overwatch League and Activision Blizzard Esports has been very positive. We felt that the internal processes and expertise we have developed through the Overwatch League would give us a huge advantage coming into the Call of Duty League; we know what to expect working with a similar franchise model.”

Misfits Gaming has joined OverActive Media and Immortals Gaming Club as the only organisations with three teams in franchised esports leagues: Riot Games’ franchised LoL leagues, Overwatch League, and the upcoming Call of Duty league.

Ben Spoont, CEO and Co-founder of Misfits Gaming commented on the venture: “By securing the Florida franchise, we’re not only strengthening our partnership with Activision Blizzard but also expanding our commitment to the Florida esports and gaming community. Call of Duty is one of the most impactful titles in esports and we’re excited to take it to the next level with the new league.”

There is now a total of eight confirmed franchises for the league, including Atlanta Esports Ventures’ Atlanta, Envy Gaming’s Dallas, Sterling.VC’s New York, c0ntact Gaming’s Paris, OverActive Media’s Toronto, WISE Ventures’ Minnesota, and Immortals Gaming Club’s Los Angeles.

Similar to Overwatch League, Activision Blizzard has confirmed that the Call of Duty league will implement a home & away match format. Further information on the format, start date, and the final number of franchises is expected to be announced in the coming months.

Esport Insider says: This is certainly an unexpected move by Misfits Gaming, especially since it’s new to Call of Duty. It’s pretty evident that its ties with Activision Blizzard and Overwatch League has given it the confidence needed to dive in and spend a lot of money. We’re still awaiting more information about the league itself before we can truly start predicting how it will turn out.

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