Call of Duty League 2021 is poised for the return of esports and gaming lifestyle organization 100 Thieves, which will be fielding a roster in the upcoming competition under the team name Los Angeles Thieves. After not participating in Call of Duty League last year, the North American establishment has officially confirmed its rumored return, taking over the OpTiC Gaming Call of Duty League franchise slot.
100 Thieves found its success in Call of Duty, but left the scene in August last year. In a heartfelt video posted to his Twitter, team owner Nadeshot explained the decision, stating he felt the company was “just not equipped and not prepared to make that jump.” Nadeshot confirming their acquisition of the LA franchise slot for the 2021 season implies the organization is more comfortable making that jump back into Call of Duty this year.
The Call of Duty League franchise slot in LA originally belonged to OpTiC Gaming LA via Immortals Gaming Club. The OpTiC brand was then sold back to the original founder Hector "H3CZ" Rodriguez. However, it is against the rules for teams to own more than one franchise in the Call of Duty League - with H3CZ already being the owner of Call of Duty League team Chicago Huntsmen, rumors surfaced that the LA slot would be sold to 100 Thieves. Now 100 Thieves has confirmed the rumor.
With teams in Valorant, Fortnite, and League of Legends, the return of 100 Thieves to the Call of Duty League comes looking forward to the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The confirmed LA Thieves roster for the Call of Duty League 2021 is Austin "SlasheR" Liddicoat, Kenny "Kuavo" Williams, Thomas "TJHaLy" Haly, and Zack "Drazah" Jordan (substitute).
Nadeshot is an active voice within the FPS shooter space, for example in his criticisms of the Call of Duty Warzone matchmaking system. He is the figurehead of 100 Thieves and found a lot of his own success in Call of Duty, so when talking about not being able to see his organization in Call of Duty League 2020, there was an obvious disappointment, both from himself and fans. It’s hard to identify what has changed since then, especially since the terms of the agreement for the slot have not been disclosed, but many will be glad to see their return.
An interesting note is that only last month 100 Thieves released its CS:GO roster, citing the pandemic as the main motivator for stepping out of CS:GO, alongside the scene’s shift to Europe-based tournaments. With Call of Duty League 2021 being heavily focused in North America and being able to shift funds from CS:GO to focus on Call of Duty, it will be interesting to see how 100 Thieves moves in the coming year.