Activision she was sued for 680 million dollars by two big Call of Duty names, Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez and Seth “Scump” Abner, active in the sector eSports, with the accusation of monopoly of the competitive scene. According to the text of the complaint, Activision forced players to join its league, making them pay an exorbitant registration fee and requiring them not to monetize through sponsorships. According to the plaintiffs, Activision did not consult or seek player approval for the rule changes compared to the past.
The crux of the dispute is essentially the way in which the tournaments were managed and the matches were organised Call of Duty Leaguean event that replaced the Call of Duty World League in 2020.
The new organization essentially took on the format of Overwatch League, monopolizing the scene. Professional players were given no alternatives, all blocked by the company, so now they are seeking compensation for the lost revenue.
Collapsed eSports scene
According to the complaint, Activision would keep too tight control on the professional Call of Duty scene, enriching itself from the work of players, demanding 27.5 million dollars to register for the tournament, and then giving little or nothing in return.
Not being able to monetize with sponsorships, Rodriguez said that, to pay for the membership, his OpTic Gaming had to come to terms with financiers who demanded 92.5% of the company's shares.
Furthermore, the lack of consultations with the Call of Duty teams forced everyone to accept the rules imposed by Activision in order to generate revenue from the games. Basically, according to the accusation, Activision would have exploited the passion of the players for its popular franchise without making them earn anything. Players who now want to be compensated for the time and effort put into Call of Duty.
The lawsuit is another nail in the coffin of the eSports scene managed by Activision, which has not been doing well at all lately, between internal layoffs, sponsors who have run away and a general decline in the sector.
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