Call of Duty is a staple of the video game industry. The series operates on a yearly release schedule and has a huge, dedicated player base. On top of that, live service elements have been incorporated with the advent of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, with its Season 6 Battle Pass already released.
In short, there is a lot of money involved in the series. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was already making Activision-Blizzard a lot of cash even before Warzone was introduced, and while the COVID-19 pandemic has not lessened player numbers (it may have increased them) it has affected another part of Call of Duty. The Call of Duty League has been losing money due to the pandemic, and several teams are having trouble paying their dues.
While the Call of Duty League has shifted to an online format, that's not a permanent solution to its trouble. The league makes a lot of money through matches and events at physical venues. These allow for ticket sales and merchandise, which make up a lot of revenue for the teams. Even though the Call of Duty teams win a lot of cash through competition, they must make money in other ways to pay back the licensing dues to Activision-Blizzard. However, keeping the ravages of COVID-19 in mind, Activision-Blizzard has offered to defer payment owed to it by teams this year.
Each team purchases its license, which the teams pay this in increments, a little each year. The payment deferred this year by Activision-Blizzard will be added to payments due in the following years for any teams that take the deal. This should make it clear why the teams push themselves in marketing and competitions so hard, as the future of the team rests on constant success and sales. The same is true for the Overwatch League, where one Overwatch League player even pushed themselves to collapse live on stream.
With luck, the pandemic will be under control by next year and the teams will not face a similar problem. When live events resume, the teams' revenue will presumably be enough to handle dues again. There is a rumor that the Call of Duty League will not expand next season, which would certainly help the existing teams draw crowds once more.
The biggest change coming to the Call of Duty League next year is the change from PS4 to PC as the competition console. This will bring in both PC and Xbox players using their favored controller. It may be tough times now, but the future of the COD League looks okay.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One
Source: Washington Post