Activision Blizzard's next esports bet hinges on the power of the Call of Duty franchise

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Even 17 years after the first Call of Duty game release, the franchise is still one of the biggest sales drivers for Activision Blizzard.

The Call of Duty League kicked off Friday afternoon, ringing in a weekend that will feature 12 city-based teams going head-to-head.Even 17 years after the first Call of Duty game release, the franchise is still one of the biggest sales drivers forAnd now the publisher is hoping to leverage the game's legacy in its upcoming Call of Duty esports league.

The new league is Activision's most recent entry into a billion-dollar industry that publishers have increasingly eyed for its potential to reach a younger audience hooked on digital entertainment. That includes a gaming industry that has ballooned in value to $150 billion thanks to the rise of non-console-based games.

"As the games industry transitions from a hit-driven model to 'games-as-a-service,' companies like Activision will look to promote their esports to derive recurring revenues in the form of media rights deals, sponsorships, and long-tail in-game monetization," said Will Hershey, CEO of Roundhill Investments and creator of the NERD esports ETF.

The growth of Activision's esports leagues is a priority, with CEO Bobby Kotick and other executives laying out the importance of esports in driving in-game and advertising revenue in various earnings calls andIn 2018, the publisher launched the Overwatch League, a competitive league based on its Overwatch game. It was the first global city-based esports franchise league that featured teams owned by traditional sports owners who reportedly paid $20 million to buy a slot in the league.

But two years later, the company hasn't reported any substantial player or revenue growth for Overwatch. Meanwhile,

 

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