Franchising leagues seem to be the way forward for companies looking to take their games further in the professional scene. Activision has teased plans to follow suit in its 2017 annual report, which would make sense considering it's also partly responsible for the Overwatch League.
Creating new franchises
As reported by Dot Esports, Activision has plans to franchise its esports for Call of Duty. This was highlighted in the company's 2017 annual report. The success of Overwatch and League of Legends has undoubtedly captivated the executives at Activision, incentivizing them to make more money from live sports for its popular title.
Interestingly, Activision also has ties with Blizzard, which in turn owns and manages the Overwatch League (OWL), so it wouldn't come as much of a surprise for the company to try and replicate already deployed systems. It's not the first we've heard of such plans, but with the year progressing and esports continuing to grow as a scene, Activision is clearly eyeing up the opportunity.
Upcoming live events
- League of Legends LCS - June 22 (EU), 23 (EU, US), and 24 (US) - watch on Twitch.
