Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag announced on Twitter earlier that 100 Thieves won’t have a competitive Call of Duty team in 2020, blaming the costs of franchising as the major barrier for entry for the startup organization. 100 Thieves is one of the most popular esports brands in the world today, with a Twitter following of over 400,000 people and one of the most consistent business models thanks to a reliance on the apparel line that originally made the organization famous.
100 Thieves is also one of the most popular organizations in Call of Duty esports, having featured in some of the professional scene’s most memorable moments of the past season. Activision unveiled the model for the first season of the Call of Duty league (CDL) earlier, announcing the intent to move to a franchising model that would see teams needing to commit to locations in a similar vein to the Overwatch League. So far, nine different locations have been announced for the CDL’s inaugural season: Toronto, Paris, Minnesota, Dallas, Florida, New York, Atlanta, and two separate Los Angeles teams.
Nadeshot announced 100 Thieves intent to skip the competitive Call of Duty season via the team’s Twitter account, posting a lengthy video that attempted to explain the reasoning behind the decision, which will surely be a controversial one among fans of the squad. Part of the reasoning behind 100 Thieves giving the CDL a pass is that it would have to make concessions about its branding and identity, something that Nadeshot was adamant he would not allow to happen:
According to Nadeshot, he doesn’t believe the company would be able to keep the same brand if it participated in the CDL. Other concerns cited by Nadeshot include the necessity of choosing a city, something that’s probably difficult for an organization that isn’t already prepared to have a central location for its esports teams. Interestingly, many Call of Duty esports critics have suggested that Activision desperately needs teams like 100 Thieves, FaZe Clan, and OpTic, not the other way around - the fans that these teams bring with them and the experience the organizations have in the esports scene are invaluable when it comes to launching a league as ambitious as the CDL.
“This is our brand…with the CDL, it’s possible that 100 Thieves would cease to exist the way we want it to. Our branding and our persona and our identity is the lifeblood of this company.”
Now that it’s clear 100 Thieves won’t be participating, it’s fair for Call of Duty esports fans to wonder if any other organizations might be passing on the chance to participate as well. For now, though, the message is transparent: 100 Thieves doesn’t need Activision, and it clearly doesn’t need to go all-in on a risky endeavor to try to guarantee success. Time will tell if Activision was in the same position with the launch of the CDL, but for now, things look shaky.
Source: 100 Thieves/Twitter
