Activision Is Expanding Their eSports Support With ‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops III,’ Announcing New World League

Like it or not, eSports have become a major part of the online competitive gaming world. While Activision’s widely popular Call of Duty franchise has already embraced this industry subculture by holding its own tournaments featuring large cash prizes, the publisher has now revealed their plans to create a bigger eSports league for Call of Duty: Black Ops III.

Backed with support from Activision, Black Ops III developer Treyarch confirmed in an announcement on their community page that they have wanted to further plant the Call of Duty series as a pillar of the competitive eSports scene. In order to do this, the studio is adding new features to Call of Duty: Black Ops III that will make the new installment of the shooter appeal more to competitors and spectators alike.

However, Activision and Treyarch realize that they can add as much content to the game that they like, but Call of Duty‘s eSport following simply won’t grow unless they expand the franchises seasonal league play. With that in mind, the developer has revealed that they are forming a new Call of Duty world league and will be restricting the series’ currently implemented season schedules.

In order to grab the attention of professional eSport gamers, Treyarch also announced that the new Call of Duty championship tournament will offer an increased $3 million worth of prizes. That’s three times more than a Call of Duty league has ever given away before.

“From introducing features like CODcaster mode to the new Arena mode in Black Ops 3, we’ve been driven by the idea that Call of Duty is a competitive game. Whether you’re playing from your couch and connecting with your friends for a casual game of multiplayer, or in the final round of a tournament competing for big money, it’s all about the thrill of competition and the bragging rights that come with victory.”

Activision released more in-depth details in an FAQ of the formation of the new expanded Call of Duty world league. The publisher explained that the bigger focus on professional competitive gaming for Black Ops III is part of an effort to pick up a larger portion of the growing eSports market. Furthermore, by featuring a larger prize pool, the new Call of Duty world league will be able to support more contestants that come from both professional and amateur backgrounds. A point system is even being implemented that could give non-professional gamers a chance to join Call of Duty‘s pro-league towards the end of the season.

As reported earlier this week by the Inquisitr, despite having annual installments, gamers still seem to be excited about this year’s Call of Duty release. According to a recent consumer survey from Nielsen, Call of Duty: Black Ops III is currently the second most anticipated game of the holiday season following Bethesda’s Fallout 4.

Do you have any interest in eSports, as either a competitor or spectator, or do you plan on playing Call of Duty: Black Ops III just for fun?

[Images via Call of Duty]