Call of Duty legend James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks questioned how the CDL is supposed to survive, and thrive, given how much focus has been put on Warzone recently, suggesting it may kill off multiplayer.
When Warzone first launched over a year ago, it was a cause for celebration for most Call of Duty fans, given that the battle royale would be bringing fresh faces and new eyes to the game they love so much.
Warzone has since skyrocketed in popularity, but it has also become a cause of concern for fans, and players, in the Call of Duty esports scene. Many fans have pinpointed Warzone as one of the reasons that live viewership of the CDL is down, and have questioned if, eventually, Warzone will simply replace normal Call of Duty modes.
Well, it’s also something that three-time Call of Duty world champion Clayster picked up on following a recent episode of The Flank podcast, noting the difference in viewership on Twitch for streamers playing Cold War and those playing the battle royale.
“It looks like Warzone is taking the f*** over,” Clay said, adding that the battle royale will “kill multiplayer” when former teammate Zoomaa asked if he believed it would kill CoD as a whole.
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“I mean, it’s already taken over CoD. It has this past year. I’m saying in terms of the CDL… when Warzone is so popular and so big, how does this function in the CDL landscape?” Clay asked, pointing out just how much time and effort was put into organizing the recent World Series of Warzone event in such a small amount of time.
“If Warzone wasn’t a thing, that would be going towards multiplayer,” the New York Subliners captain continued. “I’m not saying none is going to multiplayer, because now it’s a lot different, its a franchise league, but the opportunities are going to become less for multiplayer and more for Warzone, other than the CDL and it’s like how long can the CDL actually survive at this big of a gap?”
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The Subliners star isn’t worried about the league’s immediate future, but urged them to make some changes in different areas to keep it going strong.
“I’m not saying that the CDL is doomed and that it’s shuttering in two years. I don’t believe that,” he continued. “If they want the CDL to survive as a product there has to be a lot more thought put into it in terms of the marketing side, the ranked side, the rewards side.”
As plenty of viewers have noted, while the live numbers of CDL streams are down, the VOD numbers are still chugging along and going well, and the scene as a whole should be lifted when Champs rolls around.
Whether or not Warzone will become the sole focus of Call of Duty remains to be seen later down the line, but it’s clear some pros are concerned.