Notorious CoD insider claims LA franchise value has almost tripled in bidding war
Unsplash / Activision BlizzardNotorious CoD esports insider ‘Call of Duty franchised league has seen its value almost triple as teams square off in a bidding war to secure the spot.
The CoDBurner is a mysterious figure among the Call of Duty community, an unknown identity that regularly spills rumors and gossip surrounding the teams, players and organizations involved in the popular console esport.
The CoDBurner, who is best known for his work during roster transfer periods, has turned their attention to the Call of Duty franchised league which is believed to kick off later this year, and has made a startling claim about one of the league’s most sought-after spots.
Teams are fighting to secure their place in the inaugural season of Call of Duty’s franchised league.CoDBurner reveals bidding war for Call of Duty’s LA Franchise
With franchising on the way, thought to be kicking off with CoD’s 2019 title, organizations are currently working on securing their place in the league, with the price for a spot in the tournament believed to cost $25 million.
Like its sister competition the Overwatch League, teams are bidding on geographical-based franchises, with Overwatch.
One franchise location appears to be drawing a lot of interest though, with CoDBurner claiming that a bidding war is underway for the Los Angeles franchise, as a number of teams are interested in securing the rights to the Californian spot.
According to a comment made by the notorious leaker on his subreddit, the cost of the spot has already soared thanks to a number of bids from interested parties, with CoDBurner mentioning that bids of “over $60 [million]” have been placed in an attempt to secure the spot.
This is almost triple the reported cost of the franchise spot, showing that the organizations trying to buy the franchise spot are desperate to get their hands on it.
Who could be bidding on the Los Angeles CoD franchise spot?
While CoDBurner revealed that the bids are skyrocketing, the insider refrained from revealing who the organizations were that are throwing cash at Activision for the spot.
It’s possible that 100 Thieves, who secured their first major championship as an organization at CWL London, could be one of those involved, although their links to the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team may see them choose that location instead.
100 Thieves secured victory at CWL London, could they also win the L.A. franchise spot?Another possible candidate is FaZe Clan, who are based in LA – although CoDBurner claims they heard players say they weren’t interested because it was “too expensive.” San Francisco-based Gen.G Esports are also a possibility, although they may choose to chase a San Francisco franchise – or the Korean market as they did in OWL with the Seoul Dynasty.
Stan and Josh Kroenke, owners of the LA Rams and Arsenal FC, are also a possibility, as their Los Angeles Guardians already occupy the Los Angeles spot in the Overwatch League, while the Los Angeles Valiant, who are owned by Immortals are another possibility – especially considering reports that they intend to expand into other titles, including League of Legends by buying OpTic Gaming’s spot.
It’s possible that we may see an announcement in the near future following the surprise confirmation of the first five teams in the league, however with bidding seemingly on-going, it’s probably unlikely.