The upcoming city-based Call of Duty League will be "kicking off" the weekend of Jan. 24-26 at the 8,400-seat Minneapolis Armory, with all 12 teams in the "fledgling league" competing over the three-day launch event, according to Andrew Webster of THE VERGE. The Minnesota Rokkr, owned by the Vikings' Wilf family, will host the opening weekend. For the league's inaugural season, the CDL will "feature 12 clubs based in the U.S., Canada, France and England" (THEVERGE.com, 10/29). In DC, Hume & Klimentov note each of the 12 teams will "host weekend-long events in their market, with the teams based in 11 different cities" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/30).
TWILIGHT ZONE: In Minneapolis, Nicole Norfleet notes the Wilf family yesterday debuted their new CDL franchise as Rokkr, a nod to "Norse mythology and their Vikings football brand." The logo of the new team "portrays a menacing figure clad in a horned helmet and shadowed in dark purple, blue and black." The Rokkr will "train near the Vikings' practice facility" in Eagan. WISE Ventures Esports COO Brett Diamond, who also will be the COO for the Rokkr, said "We wanted a name that would be unique. ... We also wanted to find ways to create subtle ties to the Vikings." Franchise officials "considered about 50 names before settling on Rokkr." The logo was "created by the Vikings in-house design team True North Creative" and is "reminiscent of the Vikings' own Norseman mascot as well as reflective of the North theme that is popular in the region" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 10/30).
"A" TOWN: THE ESPORTS OBSERVER's H.B. Duran noted esports organization FaZe Clan will participate in CDL by "sharing a team with Atlanta Esports Ventures" as part of a joint venture called "Atlanta FaZe." The Atlanta FaZe color scheme is "red, white, and black, similar to that of FaZe Clan," while the team's new logo "incorporates both the stylized 'F' for FaZe and an 'A' for Atlanta." According to game developer Activision Blizzard's guidelines, all franchise teams in Overwatch League and CDL are "exclusively owned by the league in a manner similar to the NBA and NFL." This means "any existing esports organizations cannot play under their existing trademark." FaZe "has not announced any plans to cease competition in other games, and it was not made clear as to whether Atlanta FaZe would be a trademark separate from FaZe Clan" (THE ESPORTS OBSERVER, 10/28).
PIRATE'S LIFE: THE ESPORTS OBSERVER's Duran noted Misfits Gaming Group announced the team name and branding for its Florida-based CDL franchise slot -- the "Florida Mutineers." The team "features a Kraken logo and color scheme of blue-green, black, and red" and "will be based" in Misfits Gaming HQ in Boca Raton, Fla., along with OWL team Florida Mayhem (THE ESPORTS OBSERVER, 10/28).
