November 04, 2016
Infinity Ward reveals the first Call of Duty World League and eSports details for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Infinity Ward reveals the first Call of Duty World League and eSports details for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
November 04, 2016
Clint “Maven” Evans recently hosted a livestream at Infinity Ward to pull back the curtain on the newest Call of Duty eSports details, including first details for the return of the Call of Duty World League.
To kick things off, Maven was joined by Jack “Courage” Dunlop and pro players from Elevate, EnVy, FaZe, and Rise, including reigning Call of Duty Champion and MVP John and former champions Attach and Clayster, took part in a Hardpoint match on Throwback to show off what pros can do behind the wheel of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Taking part in the competition were:
WRAITH
SABRE TEAM 7
SBR7 ended up winning this one with a score of 250 to WR8’s 209.
You can see the updated CODcaster mode at work in these matches, which will be used in the Call of Duty World League, and will also allow anyone to cast their own games as well. The mode has many new innovative features, including some of the highlights below:
After the match, Maven was joined by Joe Cecot, Lead Multiplayer Designer, and Ashton Williams, Community Manager at Infinity Ward. Having just concluded the two Beta weekends for Infinite Warfare, the pair touched on the amount of testing that the team was able to do heading into launch.
One thing the team noticed was the variety of weapons that players used over the course of the Beta. All of the gameplay is invaluable to the team, who will be working hard for the quickly approaching launch day on November 4.
The second pro player match was a Search & Destroy on Frost, which SBR7 won with a score of 6 to 3. It included Clayster falling off of the map, because why break the streak? [link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbWQku7HnI4]
After the second match, Maven and Ashton were joined by Jay Puryear, Director of Brand Development and eSports, who outlined some of the details about the upcoming season for the Call of Duty World League:
As the group got back into the action, the third pro player match was Uplink on a brand-new map, Mayday. This symmetrical map features a Settlement Defense Front ship that is crippled so look for environmental effects and havoc everywhere. Ashton advised to keep an eye on the mess hall in the ship, where much of the action is centered. WR8 came into this match seeking vengeance, and completely decimated SBR7 6 to 1.
To close out the stream, Tyler “TeePee” Polchow joined Maven and Ashton to talk about some of the specific changes that will come to the Call of Duty World League. Infinity Ward has been working closely with active and retired pros like TeePee, Joey “Merk” Deluca, John “Revan” Boble, and Eric “Muddawg” Sanders, along with the pros playing in matches during this livestream, and other players from North America and Europe during hands-on events since the Spring to hone the esports experience in Infinite Warfare.
With the start of the season coming up soon, here are Version 1 of the preliminary competitive guidelines:
PRELIMINARY COMPETITIVE GUIDELINES – VERSION 1
Weapon and Rig Draft
Pending the planned inclusion of the in-game Weapon and Combat Rig Draft systems, each member on a team of four will select a separate Combat Rig, with no duplicate Combat Rigs permitted on the same team.
Each member on a team of four will also select a weapon via the Weapon Draft system, which will restrict each player to two primary weapons (secondary weapons are not subject to the Weapon Draft system). Duplicate primary weapons cannot be used on the same team. The Weapon Draft will occur on a per-map basis.
NOTE – The Weapon and Combat Rig Draft systems are currently in the process of being fine-tuned. The frequency of the Weapon and Combat Rig Drafts (per series vs per map) will be reevaluated in the coming weeks.
Hybrid Weapons
Hybrid Weapons represent a unique weapon archetype characterized by the ability to swap between two weapon functionalities “on the fly.” The team at Infinity Ward has taken player feedback into account and will work to “lock” these weapons in their default primary mode when played within the competitive ruleset. At the start of the season, players may still use these weapons contingent upon using only the default primary mode.
Sidearms
With their placement outside the Weapon Draft System, Sidearms hold an especially critical role. The Team at Infinity Ward recognizes how impactful these weapons can be in professional hands, and are actively seeking feedback from the community.
Maps and Modes
Hardpoint
Uplink
Search and Destroy
Restricted Items
Payloads
Traits
Lethals
Tacticals
Perk 1
Perk 2
Perk 3
Wildcards
Attachments
LMGs
Shotguns
Launchers
Scorestreaks
Game Mode Rules
Hardpoint
Game
Advanced
Player
Team
Gameplay
Uplink
Game
Advanced
Player
Team
Gameplay
Search and Destroy
Game
Advanced
Player
Team
Gameplay
*New values to follow shortly pending developer update
1 Initial spawns to be adjusted shortly
2 Bombsite to be adjusted shortly so defensive team cannot see both A&B from a single location
For the latest updates on the Call of Duty World League, presented by PlayStation 4, stay tuned to CallofDuty.com/CWL and follow @CODWorldLeague on Twitter and Instagram.
