100 Thieves Return To Call Of Duty After Acquiring CDL Spot

Breaking news among the competitive Call of Duty scene the past 24 hours has all been about 100 Thieves acquiring a franchise spot for the upcoming season of the Call of Duty League.

The brand has strong ties to the Call of Duty scene and community, so it’s no surprise that many are elated at the news of their return. With this being said, we are still waiting for official announcements to be made. It will certainly be interesting to see how they go about it. There is plenty to digest here. So let's break it all down for you.

100 Thieves History In Call Of Duty

For those of you that don't know, 100 Thieves was founded by Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag. Nadeshot is a former competitive Call of Duty player who spent the majority of his career at the esports powerhouse that was OpTic Gaming. 

It can be argued that Nadeshot was the forefront and primary reason for the continual growth of Call of Duty esports in the earlier days. So it was a sad day when he announced his retirement. However, it didn’t take long for him to make a return. 100 Thieves made a short appearance during the Black Ops 3 season, but this isn’t heavily documented. 

The arrival of 100 Thieves to Call of Duty came after their ‘official launch’ which featured a re-branded logo and substantial funding backing to the organisation. It was the Black Ops 4 season which brought 100 Thieves into the Call of Duty spotlight. They picked up a stellar roster and were expected to battle against OpTic Gaming all season. 

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The initial roster featured Kenny, Fero, Octane, Slasher, and Enable. Despite the high expectations, the team got off to a shaky start, failing to impress on the big stage. However, a roster change meant Priestahh joined the team to replace Fero. At the first event, 100 Thieves finished fourth, and then went on to win back to back Championships. The season was rounded off by a second-place finish at the prestigious Call of Duty World League Championship 2019. 

• Read More - CDL Players Think They Had COVID-19 During Launch Weekend

Nadeshot Deems CDL Investment Unwise

There were high hopes that following successful funding rounds, 100 Thieves would opt to purchase one of the initial Call of Duty (CDL) Franchise spots. Unfortunately for fans, this didn’t happen. Nadeshot even released a YouTube video explaining the decision, referring to it as an unwise investment at that period of time. 

What Changed His Mind?

This is where it gets interesting. Fans will know that Hector "H3CZ" Rodriguez was the owner of OpTic Gaming. During Nadeshot's time competing under OpTic, he and Hector built a great friendship. This was part of what made the 100 Thieves versus OpTic Gaming matchups so special. 

Following a couple of business ventures, H3CZ sold majority shares of OpTic to try and expand the brand, but things didn’t go as planned. It resulted in Hector painfully parting ways with what was an incredibly successful project. At this stage, the OpTic brand was bought over by Immortals Gaming Club, who had locked in a CDL franchise spot. 

H3CZ made the move to NRG, a successful esports brand that has backing from the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, Jennifer Lopez, and Marshawn Lynch. NRG also acquired a CDL spot, branded as Chicago Huntsmen. 

Where It Gets Complicated

With official announcements still waiting to be made, this is where things can get a little bit tricky. Following a relatively unsuccessful inaugural season for Immortals owned OpTic Gaming Los Angeles in the CDL, it appears the spot was up for grabs. 

Reports and sources have stated that Hector Rodriguez has re-acquired the OpTic brand (which is fantastic news for many in the scene), but this would mean he has a stake in two Call of Duty franchises. 

It is currently believed that Hector sold the CDL spot to 100 Thieves, and we can assume for a discounted price considering the long-standing friendship that has been in place between Hector and Nadeshot. This means that OpTic Gaming Los Angeles, previously owned by Immortals, is now owned by 100 Thieves and reports suggest it will be re-branded to the Los Angeles Thieves. 

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So to sum up this element, Hector bought back the OpTic Gaming brand, sold the CDL spot to 100 Thieves, but he still owns the OpTic brand. The next question is whether or not Hector will be allowed to rebrand the Chicago Huntsmen to include OpTic in the name. Rumours suggest the league declined the proposal to rebrand the Chicago Huntsmen to Chicago OpTic Gaming. 

For the good of the esport, it would be brilliant to see both 100 Thieves and OpTic competing against one another again. However, there is the chance NRG will need to stick with the Chicago Huntsmen franchise name, and Hector will have to use the OpTic brand elsewhere for now. 

100 Thieves Potential Roster

The OpTic Gaming Los Angeles roster had a turbulent season but did consist of some world-class players. With the acquisition of the CDL spot, 100 Thieves do have some players under contract, as the players move with the purchase. This means 100 Thieves will have the following roster in place right now. 

• Austin ‘Slasher’ Liddicoat

• Kenny ‘Kuavo’ Williams

• Thomas ‘TJHaly’ Haly

• Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan

Outside of Drazah, the team is vastly experienced and has many championships under their belts individually. Both Kenny and Slasher were also on the successful 100 Thieves Black Ops 4 roster, so they will be familiar with Nadeshot and the brand. It remains to be seen if Nadeshot and 100 Thieves will decide to make any roster changes, but many believe it’s unlikely as the roster is predicted to perform incredibly well in the upcoming Black Ops Cold War season. 

This is likely going to be the biggest story in the Call of Duty League this off-season, and should help to elevate the league even further. As more information comes to light regarding this story, we will be sure to keep you updated. It is expected official announcements will come from both parties in the near future. 
 

Images via: GamingLyfe Network | 100 Thieves | Activision