Nadeshot Rubbishes Activision Strategy To Use Warzone To Increase CDL Viewership

For the first time since the Call of Duty League turned into a franchised system during the Modern Warfare era, the developers looked at brand-new techniques to bring eyeballs into the competitive scene. Following a dwindling viewership figure, the CDL pulled in a guest co-streamer to help revive their $250million league, beginning a journey that could see Call of Duty esports begin to reignite. 

Despite the inclusion of co-streamers such as Tim "TimTheTatman" Betar and Tom "GeekyPastimes" Souter, one CDL stalwart figure has continued to lash out at the league, rubbishing their efforts of promoting the CDL through Warzone.

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Nadeshot explains why Activision is 'wrong' to push the CDL into Warzone for viewership

Having seen the developers begin to use Warzone as a technique to covert Call of Duty casuals to competitive fans, 100 Thieves (and LA Thieves) Founder and CEO Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag has expressed why he feels this strategy is wrong. 

Speaking on an LA Thieves podcast alongside General Manager Eric "Muddawg" Sanders and recently retired professional player Ian "Enable" Wyatt, Nadeshot said, "I don’t agree with that strategy."

"I’ve heard rumbles that Warzone is going to continue to be a priority from a competitive standpoint and hoping in bringing in new members that are interested in competitive Call of Duty. I don’t agree with that thesis. I don’t agree with that strategy."

"I think Warzone and competitive Call of Duty are completely different products and should be treated as such. I understand the frame of thought if you don’t understand the nuances of competitive Call of Duty, but nobody is going to watch a Warzone tournament with CDL players and then think to themselves ‘I've got to go and watch them play on stage.’”

Nadeshot believes Ranked Play Is More Important Than Converting Warzone Fans To Competitive CoD

Despite his rant, Nadeshot did applaud the subtlety of the in-game flags awarded to CDL 2021 winners Atlanta FaZe, adding that it was "cool" to see that addition and this type of advertising is good for the league. 

However, the ex-major champion added that ranked play and a better CDL calendar that "strikes whilst the iron is hot" would be more beneficial to the league.

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The CDL, which will be under the operation of Microsoft in the upcoming years, will likely hope that ranked play will land soon, which, combined with an obvious push towards co-streamers, will push CDL viewership into the upper echelons of esports.