Author: Nik Ranger

CoD: Black Ops 4 tournament hosted by PlayStation will be 5v5 The ‘PlayStation Masters’ tournament in Germany will see four invited teams compete in the first official Black Ops 4 tournament – and it will be played with 5v5 rosters. There has been uncertainty amongst the competitive community as to whether the upcoming Black Ops 4 season will be played 4v4, as it has always been, or if it will shift to 5v5. The tournament, which will take place at the EGX convention in Berlin on September 28, is an invitational event ran by PlayStation, who are partnered with the Call of Duty franchise and the CWL. Although this tournament is not linked with the CWL directly, previous ‘pre-season’ tournaments held by PlayStation (such as PSX) have used official competitive rules. The invited teams have not been announced yet, but are said to be the “best German teams”. At least four organizations in total are expected to compete. We reached out to tournament organizers, who confirmed reports from some of the invited players that the tournament will be 5v5. 700https://twitter.com/PSLiga/status/1039559207266254849The event takes place several days after the reveal livestream for the upcoming competitive season, which will be broadcast from Treyarch Studios on September 19. More: Analysts Predict That Call of Duty’s ‘Blackout’ Battle Royale Mode Will “Thrive” Against Fortnite – The possibility of 5v5 competitive first arose due to the change to regular public matches, which are now 5v5 as opposed to the traditional 6v6. Treyarch as a developer have always been keen to close the gap between the casual experience and competitive, by making them more similar. 5v5 would be one such compromise, similar to the ‘pick and ban’ system from Black Ops 3, which allowed the game to be played competitively with all items allowed. Another hint came from the leaked ‘CoD Caster’ mode – the spectator mode used to watch competitive matches – which seemed to be tailored to 5v5 gameplay. The community is expecting official confirmation as to whether the CWL will be played 4v4 or 5v5 during the reveal livestream, but this PlayStation tournament is a significant indication that a change to 5v5 is imminent. The change would be the most drastic shift in competitive Call of Duty’s long history, and would make the on-going RosterMania even more intriguing, as teams will scramble to add the best possible fifth player to their lineup.

CoD: Black Ops 4 ‘Blackout’ Mode Will Feature Interactive Zombies and Zombie Loot It has been revealed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s ‘Blackout’ mode will feature Zombies and special Zombie loot. GameInformer, who were given early access to CoD’s upcoming battle royale mode on September 4, revealed there will be AI controlled Zombies that players will be able to interact with and eliminate. In fact, this feature of Blackout was described by GameInformer as “the most immediately noticeable detail” of the mode. “However, the most immediately noticeable detail is that Blackout features A.I.-controlled undead foes designed to introduce even more chaos into this hectic free-for-all.” Having AI controlled Zombies is yet another feature that will distinguish Blackout from more traditional battle royale titles. Players will be able to test out this aspect of Blackout when the Private Beta launches on September 10 for Playstation 4, and September 7 for the Xbox One and PC. Keep updated with all of the information that is being revealed today about the Blackout battle royale mode by visiting the links below: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 ‘Blackout’ Battle Royale Player Count Officially Announced – Four Vehicles Revealed for ‘Blackout’ Battle Royale in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – First Teaser Images Revealed for ‘Blackout’ Battle Royale Map – How Player Health and Healing Will Work in CoD: Black Ops 4’s ‘Blackout’ Battle Royale Mode – Source – charlieINTEL

CoD: Black Ops 4 ‘Blackout’ Mode Will Feature “Deployment Zone” Practice Area as Pre-Game Lobby As with nearly every other battle royale, the ‘Blackout’ mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will feature a practice area before each match. This deployment area will be where players who have queued up for a match will wait for the lobby to fill up before the main match starts. The area will be full of weapons, equipment, and other in-game items that players will have the chance to test out and practice with while they wait. Treyarch Co-Studio Head Dan Bunting and Studio Design Director David Vonderhaar previewed this deployment area in a special Blackout Private Beta stream on September 7. “You actually wingsuit into the staging area at the beginning [just the last bits of it] so you get the experience of wingsuiting in, but it’s just for fun. That area is waiting, trying to fill up the game. “Transport copter […] You’re flying over, and you decide where to drop. And then wingsuiting, it’s a pretty simple experience. In general, we have it set up and tuned right now where you can mostly point towards where you want to go. You can’t make it exactly across the whole map, but you can get pretty far.” As mentioned in the clip above, players will be dropped into the staging area from the sky, giving them a chance to try out and test gliding with their new wingsuits that they will be equipped with at the start of matches. Once the lobby does reach full capacity, which is currently set at 80 players, the players will be escorted via choppers to the map and will get to land at the spot of their choosing. Players can try out the Blackout mode early as the Private Beta goes live on the Playstation 4 on September 10, and on the Xbox One and PC on September 14, with it ending for all platforms on September 17. For everything you should know about Blackout, visit our information hub here.

CoD: Black Ops 4 August 8 update patch notes – Blackout bug fixes, gameplay improvements and more TreyarchTreyarch have released a brand-new August 8 update for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 on PS4 and Xbox One designed to improve gameplay and address a number of bugs that have been affecting the game’s new Blackout mode called Pandemic. While many CoD fans are looking forward to Modern Warfare, Treyarch have been working hard on ensuring the final months of the Black Ops 4 season go as smoothly as possible, and have addressed a number of issues with their latest maintenance update. The August 8 update includes fixes for the game’s multiplayer, Blackout and Zombies modes, alongside a couple of quality-of-life changes to address some minor bugs that were affecting Treyarch’s latest FPS offering. The August 8 update includes fixes for all three Black Ops 4 modes. The biggest changes comes to Blackout’s new Pandemic mode, with Treyarch now allowing infected players to break down doors so they can get at their enemies, while melee attacks thrown by them will no longer break sprint. In Zombies, Treyarch fixed an issue where the Burned Out Elixir wasn’t killing zombies, and also addressed an issue that caused the Reflex scope to start working when equipped on a Pack-a-Punched Locus. Multiplayer weapons also got a number of bugs removed, with the Havelina AA50’s glitch that wouldn’t allow players to reload the full magazine sorted, while a problem that meant a white square appeared on screen for players who used the Rampart 17 with a Reflex sight has also been fixed. For fans hoping for a fix to the sliding glitch that has affected the game just days before CWL Championships kicks off, there is no news on an update to solve it, with Treyarch stating that they are “tracking an unintended issue,” and are currently investigating a solution, but gave no inclination as to when it may appear. Two issues with multiplayer weapons were addressed, but no solution to the sliding glitch. You can view the full patch notes for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s August 8 update below. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 August 8 update – Full patch notes Today’s Update Today’s maintenance update delivers a handful of gameplay improvements for Pandemic in Blackout, as well as Black Market weapon adjustments in Zombies and MP, general UI fixes, and restoration of missing Paintjobs and Warpaints. Read on below for the full list of changes in the patch notes. Issues We’re Tracking We’re currently tracking an unintended issue causing exaggerated sliding since Tuesday’s update, and are currently investigating a fix. Also, PS4 Zombies players still experiencing prompts to re-download “Dead of the Night” and “Ancient Evil” should be on the lookout for the latest versions of the maps with the following file sizes: 5.264 GB for Dead of the Night – 4.479 GB for Ancient Evil – If you’re still experiencing this issue, please be sure to finish your current downloads, then restart the game to begin downloading the newly-packaged maps. If you see the file sizes above, these are the latest files – finish your download and the process will be complete. If you don’t see the file sizes above with your next download, the update is likely still in the process of rolling out in your region. Our partners at PlayStation are working to resolve this as quickly as possible. Here’s what’s included in today’s update: BLACKOUT Pandemic Gameplay Infected players can now break doors. – Melee attacks as an infected player will no longer break sprint. – The last survivor that dies in the endgame will no longer receive a “Defeat” screen. – Improved 3rd-person spawn camera for infected players. – – UI Addressed an issue that sometimes led to zombies spawning with access to their Quick Equip menu. – – Stability Multiple stability improvements. – – – Gameplay – ZOMBIES Weapons M16 Diamond Camo will now unlock properly on the M16. – – Locus Recon scope on the Locus will no longer lose functionality when Pack-a-Punched. – – – M16 – Gauntlets “Duck and Cover” Addressed an issue that prevented zombies from dying to the Burned Out Elixir. – Closed an exploit related to Jolting Jacks. – – – “Duck and Cover” – UI Added missing Mastercraft icons in the Armory. – – MULTIPLAYER Weapons Havelina AA50 Addressed an issue that could sometimes prevent the Havelina AA50 from reloading the full magazine. – – – Havelina AA50 – MULTIPLAYER Weapons Rampart 17 Removed a white square that sometimes appeared on the Rampart 17 equipped with the Reflex optic. – – UI Addressed an issue that sometimes caused Spectre’s Operator outfit to disappear in the menu. – – – Rampart 17 – GLOBAL Paintjobs Restored previously created Paintjobs that appeared missing due to a visual bug. – – Warpaints Added missing Warpaints for Battery, Ajax, and Torque. – –

CoD bans MW2 troll after threatening Twitch streamer with sexual assault Activision/Twitch/steffyevansActivision has banned a Call of Duty troll after he threatened a Twitch streamer during a heated Modern Warfare 2 game. On January 5, Twitch streamer ‘SteffyEvans’ uploaded a video to social media documenting the abuse she was receiving from a toxic member of her team. The clip soon went viral, exposing the individual and his series of comments where he said he would sexually assault her and make her bleed. To make things even more disturbing, the troll believed that Steffy was actually a “little girl” and insisted that his comments weren’t a joke. (Warning: graphic language) Activision bans MW2 player after disturbing sexual assault comments “A 37 year old man, thinking I was a little girl (listen to very end), and saying this to me,” Steffy captioned the clip. “Sh*t like this needs proper repercussions.. this is disgusting and the reason why women don’t play this game.” Backlash to the user’s comments was swift, with many urging action to be taken and for the troll to be banned from MW2. CoD voice actor and fellow Twitch streamer Alex Zedra praised Steffy for remaining so calm during the exchange, explaining how she’d go off on the man if he talked that way to her. “You held your composure a lot better than I would. I’d tell him I’d **** with him with my .50 caliber Barrett and pull the trigger and to pull up in my stream,” the Mara actress said. Luckily for the CoD community, four days later as the video approached one million views, Activision took action and hit the troll with a ban and alerted Steffy on their decision. “We got an update from Activision, he has been banned!” she celebrated. “One day at a time, getting rid of the people that deserve it.” Banning players who abuse comms isn’t uncommon for Activision. Back in 2022, 500,000 players in CoD & Warzone were suspended in a major crackdown on toxicity.

CoD 2025 leaks claim game will have fan-favorite maps from Black Ops 2 ActivisionAccording to leaks, the 2025 Call of Duty title could include a complete set of remastered Black Ops 2 maps, in a similar style to how 2023’s Modern Warfare III features all Modern Warfare 2 (2009) maps in their remastered state. In 2023, Sledgehammer Games are putting out Modern Warfare III — a sequel to Infinity Ward’s 2022 effort Modern Warfare II, but to feature some major gameplay changes as well as, most interestingly to players, all 16 MW2 (2009) maps fully remastered and brought into the current day. After seeing the incredible reception to that announcement from the Call of Duty player base, it appears the idea could have been floated to repeat the idea for the upcoming Treyarch title in 2024, according to new leaks. Here’s what has been said. BO2 remastered maps? According to reliable leaker El Bobberto (also known as BobNetwork), this plan could be in the works for Call of Duty’s 2025 release — to follow up Treyarch’s 2024 launch. In a tweet posted late on September 10, he said: “This is very likely to change within the next 2 years, but COD 2025 seems to be like MWIII but for Treyarch’s 2024 title, featuring BO2 multiplayer map remasters.” Of course, it is noted that this could certainly change in the time between now and when the game is intended to come out, and it may hinge on the success of MW3 and how players receive the remastered maps in that. There were 14 maps in Black Ops 2 at launch. They were: Aftermath – Cargo – Carrier – Drone – Express – Hijacked – Meltdown – Overflow – Plaza – Raid – Slums – Standoff – Turbine – Yemen – This game wouldn’t launch until around November 2025, and with two new Call of Duty titles and plenty of decisions to be made between now and then, it’s impossible to tell what the game will end up looking like, or who would even develop it if this were to happen.

COD 2024 leak reveals game setting and zombies details TreyarchA COD 2024 leak revealed where the game will take place, who will develop it, and what fans can expect from the Zombies game mode. Early signs point toward Treyarch as the developers behind COD 2024. It fits the expected order of games, with Treyarch’s last installment, Black Ops Cold War, dropping back in 2020. It has also been corroborated by leaks that claim a new Treyarch-developed Warzone map will drop with the upcoming title. Reportedly, Treyarch was set to develop COD 2023, but Activision reshuffled its development plans, moving Sledgehammer Games onto an expansion of MW2. Leaks also suggest that Treyarch had its budget approved for a 2-year lifecycle. A new leak helped paint a clearer picture of what fans can expect from the scheduled COD game. First COD 2024 Zombies details leaked On November 22, CharlieIntel credited WindowsCentral for reporting: “Activision is considering potentially offering “weeks” early access to Call of Duty 2024’s Zombies mode via pre-order.” The leak also revealed that COD 2024 will be a Black Ops title set in the Gulf War. And for the cherry on top, CharlieIntel corroborated the following claim: “Treyarch will have round-based Zombies in their 2024 game, but it’s unclear how many round-based maps there are at launch.” Treyarch led the development of Modern Warfare 3 Zombies. Although the game mode bravely departed from traditional round-based gameplay, community members have praised the Zombies and DMZ hybrid experiment. This would also be the first Black Ops title since Cold War in 2020. CharlieIntel reported: “Call of Duty 2024 is the first title in Call of Duty history to have a 4-year development cycle.” It’s essential to take all leaks with a pinch of salt. As we have learned in the past, COD development plans are always subject to change. To stay locked in for any future leaks, check out our COD 2024 coverage.

CoD 2024 leak hints at decades-old loadout twist in Black Ops Gulf War ActivisionA new CoD 2024 leak showing a third weapon slot in Black Ops Gulf War could mean both a return to the game’s roots, and a major loadout shakeup for the series. CoD’s weapon loadout has been the same for years. Every player arsenal carries just two weapons. A primary weapon; your assault rifles, SMGs, and sniper rifles, and a secondary weapon; is pistols, rocket launchers or maybe a combat knife or riot shield. But a new leak shared by ForwardLeaks on X/Twitter shows a third weapon slot in the loadout code for CoD’s 2024 release, codenamed Black Ops Gulf War. “Loadouts now come with a 3rd weapon slot being a knife in Black Ops Gulf War,” the post reads, alongside a screenshot of the relevant code, showing a third weapon slot with a combat knife equipped. If the leak holds true, this would certainly spell a big change for the Call of Duty series. There hasn’t been a three-weapon loadout in a long time. The very first CoD, all the way back in 2003, sported three weapons, with two primary weapons and a pistol. While 2017’s Modern Warfare Remastered also featured a three-slot loadout. Black Ops Gulf War was already looking like something of a departure from current titles like Warzone and MW3, with reports the game plans to adopt an open-world campaign. There’s still no exact release date slated for CoD 2024 Black Ops Gulf War. But, if past patterns prove true, we might be able to expect it in October or November this year.

COD 2024 Black Ops Gulf War leaks reveal weapons, perks & more ActivisionA huge data mine has seen a massive variety of content from COD 2024 leaked giving fans an idea of what weapons, perks, streaks, and gear will be available in Black Ops Gulf War. Black Ops Gulf War has been data mined revealing over 130 weapons, perks, scorestreaks, and gear that are expected to feature in COD 2024. The data mine appeared on X/Twitter from leaker Exo Vondy, who provided a breakdown of what Black Ops Gulf War’s loadouts will include. However, they did describe the information as “incohesive at worst, and fragmented at best,” so it’s possible not everything included is completely accurate. Even so, the leak does provide insight into what Call of Duty fans will be able to use later this year. This includes the return of several iconic weapons from throughout COD history like the AK-74, AS Val, MP5, and FAL. However, the majority of weapons included were completely new to Call of Duty. This is exciting but expected as this is the first time the Gulf War has ever been used as a setting in COD. Thanks to this, Treyarch has the chance to include all kinds of lesser-known guns from the early 1990s. In fact, some weapons have hardly if ever appeared in games at all like the PP-90 and Grendel R3. Here is every weapon, perk, equipment, and scorestreak that was leaked in the data mine: Leaked Black Ops Gulf War weapons Black Ops Gulf War Assault Rifles FTAC Light (AR-18) – Kastov 74 (AK-74) – Krig C (CETME Model L) – M16 (M16A2) – M4-S (Colt Model 723) – R-2 (RM2) – SA87 (L85A1) – SR-8 (SAR-80) – VAP 9 (AS Val) – Black Ops Gulf War SMGs AMR9 (Colt Model 635) – FMG9 (PP-90) – Kastov-M (Gepard PDW) – Lachmann Sub (MP5) – MD-97L (IMBEL MD1) – Raptor-9 (FAMAE SAF) – VAP 2 (SR-2 Veresk) – VAP 3 (SR3 VIKHR) – VCAR (Grendel R31) – Black Ops Gulf War Battle Rifles C58 (CETME Model C) – Kastov 73 (AEK-973) – Lienna 57 (SG 542) – TAQ-F (FAL) – Black Ops Gulf War Marksman Rifles CAMRS (IMI Romat) – Kastov 97 (AEK-971) – Lienna 550 (SG-550) – MK-18 (M16 Mk12 SPR) – Tempus Torrent (SR-25) – VAP-M (VSS Vintore) – Black Ops Gulf War Sniper Rifles Kastov-M (Dragunov) – LW3 – Tundra (L96A1) – Ratio-H (PGM Hecate II) – Ratio-P (PGM Ultima Ratio) – Black Ops Gulf War LMGs IP 545 (PU-21) – LRC-308 (AR-10) – SAW-H (KSP-58) – SAW-L (KSP-58D) – Black Ops Gulf War Shotguns M500 (Mossberg 500) – OCP500 (Bullpup Mossberg 500) – Olympia (Rottweil Skeet Olympia 72) – Roku 360 (USAS 12) – Super Short (Remington 11) – Black Ops Gulf War Pistols Dianolli (Beretta M9) – GP13 Auto (Stretchkin APS) – Lach-30 (Grendel P30) – Lach-45 (USP-45) – Lach-9 (ISP-9) – Sykov (Makarov) – TAQ Handheld (Five-Seven) – Black Ops Gulf War Launchers LAW (M72) – Panzerfaust (Panzerfaust 3) – Stinger (FIM-92 Stinger) – Black Ops Gulf War Melee Weapons Breaching Tool – Hunting Knife – Scout Knife – Leaked Black Ops Gulf War perks Ante Up – Battle Hardened – Bomb Squad – Bounty Hunter – Cold-Blooded – Dexterity – Double Time – Fast Hands – Flex – Focus – Ghost – Grave Robber – Hardline – Heavy Metal – Huntmaster – Hustle – Ninja – Operative – Overclock – Overkill – Primed – Quick Fix – Restock – Scavenger – Shrapnel – Spotter – Stalker – Strong Arm – Survivor – Underkill – Leaked Black Ops Gulf War equipment Black Ops Gulf War Lethal Equipment C4 – Cluster Grenade – Combat Axe – Drill Charge – Frag Grenade – IED – Impact Grenade – Molotov – Semtex Thermite – Thermobaric Grenade – Black Ops Gulf War Tactical Equipment Adrenaline Shot – Decoy – EMP Grenade – Flashbang – Proximity Alarm – Shock Stick – Smoke Grenade – Stun Grenade – Tactical Insertion – Black Ops Gulf War Field Upgrades Ammo Pack – Gas Mine – Jammer – Landmine – Rally – Revive Gun – Shield – Spy Cam – Trophy System – Leaked Black Ops Gulf War streaks RC-XD (350) – Spy Plane (450) – Honeypot (500) – Care Package (550) – Counter Spy Plane (600) – Grim Reaper (650) – Artillery (675) – Booby Trap (700) – Napalm Strike (725) – Handcannon (750) – Hellstorm Missile (800) – Sentry Turret (850) – War Machine (900) – Valkyrie Rocket (925) – Cerberus Mk.0 (950) – Death Machine (1000) – Nighthawk (1100) – Attack Chopper (1200) – Gas Strike (1300) – Chopper Gunner (1450) – H.A.R.P (1500) – Sniper’s Nest (1750) – Air Patrol (2000) – Nuke (30 Kills) – This article will be updated as more leaks surface in the future so be sure to come back to avoid missing new information.

CoD 2023 reportedly morphed from MW2 “extension” into full game with content carrying over ActivisionBloomberg’s Jason Jason Schreier reports that the current plan for CoD 2023 is a new standalone title with Modern Warfare 2 content included. On February 9, Insider Gaming reporter Tom Henderson reported Call of Duty 2023 would be a complete game instead of premium DLC. CharlieINTEL backed up the leak by confirming, “Insider-Gaming’s report corroborates what we’ve heard in that there was a shift from doing just a year 2 “expansion” to a “full premium” game for 2023.” Henderson added that game would be connected to the Modern Warfare series and developed by Sledgehammer Games. He also revealed the CoD 2023 beta weekend and full release dates. Schreier followed up on February 23, revealing, “Activision’s Call of Duty Game this year is more than Modern Warfare.” Bloomberg reveals current CoD 2023 plans CharlieINTEL stated, “Bloomberg reports that this fall’s new Call of Duty game started as an expansion to MWII but turned into a full premium release with a continuation of MWII’s story, new MP content, and more.” The Call of Duty insider added, “Sledgehammer Games are worried about the development because of the shortened period they’ve had to work on it, only starting on the project one year ago, but they have support from Treyarch and Infinity Ward on the project.” Sledgehammer Games’ most recent project, Call of Duty: Vanguard, was developed on a similar short timeline and received harsh reviews. Bloomberg reported that Activision is more confident this time around, with other studios chipping in support. Bloomberg elaborated that the current plan is for maps and modes to carry over from Modern Warfare 2, “although they cautioned that plans may change between now and the release this fall.” We still don’t have an official title for the upcoming game, but Schreier believes it will “probably” be Modern Warfare 3. We will provide an update when we learn more about CoD’s plans for the future.

Modern Warfare 3 (COD 2023): Multiplayer trailer, Warzone details, maps, release date, more ActivisionCoD 2023 is right around the corner, as Call of Duty players will be experiencing a new version of Modern Warfare 3 this year. With more information coming out as the launch date fast approaches, here’s everything we know about the upcoming COD title. When Modern Warfare 2 (2022) first launched, there was much speculation and a number of rumors floating around, suggesting that the game would be the first in COD history to have a two-year cycle, meaning there wouldn’t be a new game in 2023. As the year went on, though, that rumor started to die down, as reports started to come out that there would be a large expansion to MWII and, now, a full-fledged premium title, which has now been confirmed to be Modern Warfare III, developed by Sledgehammer Games. Here’s everything we know about Modern Warfare 3, so far. Contents Modern Warfare 3 release date – Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer trailer – Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer details – Modern Warfare 3 logo – Modern Warfare 3 developers – What happens to Warzone? – Modern Warfare 3 Zombies – Modern Warfare 3 campaign – Key Modern Warfare 3 dates – Modern Warfare 3 release date Modern Warfare 3 launches on all platforms on Friday, November 10, 2023. This release date was originally leaked back in May, then later confirmed by Activision on August 8. This aligns with the usual timeframe for Call of Duty launches, but of course, unforeseen delays could always change things down the line. We’ll be sure to keep you posted should any new details arise. Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer reveal trailer On October 3, just days before the MW3 beta, Activision released the multiplayer trailer, giving players a more insightful look into how the remastered maps look, the movement, some of the weapons and more. In the trailer, you can see evidence of slide canceling returning and a classic minimap with red dots showing enemy fire. The game is also rumored to feature gear slots instead of perks with certain boots to make you run faster or further, for example, though this wasn’t super apparent in the trailer. More on that below. Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer features According to reports that surfaced on July 17, Modern Warfare 3 will offer an experience closer to that of earlier titles. This theory is based on leaked images that are believed to have come from an Alpha build of this year’s Call of Duty. Two big features that contribute toward this are the return of Red Dots on the minimap and a traditional Perk system. Enemy players will show up on the minimap when firing unsuppressed guns and Perks won’t have to be earned as the game progresses. MW3’s Perks will be categorized by Gear in four slots: Helmet, Vest, Gloves & Boots. Which Gear you use will determine which Perks you have access to. The presentation may be different but if the reports are correct then this should function similarly to the Perk system seen in most Call of Duty entries. Something for fans to get excited about is the expected return of Ninja. The iconic Perk that reduces or even silences footsteps is anticipated to make a comeback after not being present in Modern Warfare 2. Modern Warfare 3 logo revealed Official Modern Warfare 3 promotional materials leaked on July 24 as a new Monster Energy campaign revealed our first proper look at the game’s logo and artwork. With Captain Price front and center once again, and a mysterious face in the backdrop behind him, this year’s release hones in on a red color palette — as later confirmed by the logo reveal on August 8. Who is developing Modern Warfare 3? Sledgehammer Games is developing Modern Warfare 3, giving Treyarch the full three years they expected to push out the 2024 COD title. This means only a two-year gap for Sledgehammer, who also developed Call of Duty: Vanguard in 2021. If true, it’s unclear why exactly this decision was made to have SHG leading development on the game, though as with all Call of Duty titles now, they will receive support from all other Activision studios including both Infinity Ward and Treyarch. What will happen to Warzone? Thus far, there has been no official confirmation on what exactly will happen with Warzone when Modern Warfare 3 launches. It has been confirmed that there will be a whole new Warzone map, with leaks suggesting that Las Almas, the location from the Modern Warfare 2 campaign, will feature as the BR’s new large-scale map, slated to launch at the start of Season 1 in December 2023. The new Warzone is being premiered at COD Next on October 5, with creators and pros showing off how the new game plays. Modern Warfare 3 Zombies There will apparently be a Zombies mode in MW3, but it has been dubbed ‘Outbreak 2.0’, a reference to the Outbreak mode from the 2020 franchise entry Black Ops Cold War. Reportedly, it is not decided yet whether this will be part of the premium offering or a free-to-play addition. Modern Warfare 3 Campaign details Modern Warfare 3 will indeed feature a full campaign, much like last year’s entry. The story continues where MW2 (2022) left off, as Makarov comes into the picture once again. This time around, however, the campaign is structured a little differently. Rather than strictly linear missions from start to finish, the game is now built around ‘Open Combat Missions.’ The intention here is to give the player more control over how they tackle various scenarios. Whether you prefer a stealthy approach with silenced weapons, or a more explosive run through swarms of hostiles, the choice is seemingly yours, rather than being told how to play through a given mission. Modern Warfare 3 key dates These are the key dates according to the original leak, with only the date of release confirmed thus far: Beta weekend 1 (PS4/PS5) – October 6, 2023 – October 10, 2023 – Beta weekend 2 (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S/PC) – October 12, 2023 – October 16, 2023 – Campaign Early Access (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S/PC) – November 2, 2023 – Full Release (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S/PC) – November 10, 2023 – Season 1 Launch & New Warzone Map – December 5, 2023 – It’s worth noting that none of these dates — besides Full Release — have been confirmed by Activision or any of the development studios, so take it all with a pinch of salt now as we await official information about the game.

CoD 2023 leak reveals it’s called MW3 and new Warzone map, release date ActivisionA CoD 2023 leak revealed the title of the next mainline series entry and also information on the next fully-fledged Warzone map. In February, multiple sources confirmed that Call of Duty 2023 would be a complete game instead of premium DLC. Initially, a leak claimed that a paid expansion would feature classic maps from Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer’s catalog, celebrating the franchise’s 20th anniversary. Now, all signs point towards Sledgehammer Games leading the charge on a new series entry. As for gameplay details, Tom Henderson and other reliable CoD insiders claimed that there will be a continuation of MW2’s story, new multiplayer content, and more. The picture is starting to become clearer as Insider Gaming revealed CoD 2023’s official title and a map and release date for the next Warzone game. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 revealed On May 11, Insider Gaming reported that Call of Duty 2023 will be called Modern Warfare 3 (MW3). Henderson claimed that Las Almas, the map from the Modern Warfare 2 campaign, will be MW3’s fully-fledged battle royale map. He expects the Las Almas map to launch during Season 1, which is slated to start at the beginning of December. It’s yet unclear whether MW3 would be sticking with the Warzone 2 template, or if it’ll start fresh as Warzone 3, but the popular mode will be taking place on Los Almas either way according to reports. Several multiplayer maps in Modern Warfare 2 also tale place in and around the fictional Mexican city, making it seem like much of the game’s story will be themed around the now-iconic locale. This information lines up with what CharlieIntel has heard about the 2023 Call of Duty game. The CoD insider also confirmed that MW3 will be developed by Sledgehammer. Following a recent report of Zombies returning to CoD, Insider Gaming expects the mode to be an expansion of Outbreak, which was the Zombies experience in Black Ops: Cold War. As for when fans can get their hands on Modern Warfare 3, Insider Gaming reported that the game will launch on November 10, with a reveal trailer coming in August.

CoD 2023 insider reveals new developer details and rules out free-to-play ActivisionActivision has confirmed Call of Duty is getting a new game in 2023, but an insider has hinted that the devil could well be in the detail. The project was confirmed to be in existence on November 7, with Activisions latest financial release referencing a premium CoD title coming in the next 12 months. It said: “Activision is looking forward to building on its current momentum in 2023,” referencing the fact MW2 become the leading entertainment release for sales in 2022. It topped $800 million in revenue after only three days on the market, making it the fastest-selling title they have ever launched. The financial statement continued… “With plans for next year including the most robust Call of Duty live operations to date, the next full premium release in the blockbuster annual series, and even more engaging free-to-play experiences across platforms.” This comes contrary to speculation that there would not be a Call of Duty mainline game in the pipeline. CoD 2023 details revealed by insider Charlie Intel, a leading Call of Duty news source and Dexerto sister site, posted about Activision’s upcoming projects on Twitter. In the replies, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier threw a spanner in the works, suggesting that all was not what it seemed. They said: “It’s a continuation of Modern Warfare II. “It’s called a full premium release because they’re probably going to market and sell it as a $70 game with new single- and multiplayer content. But it’s more MWII.” Journalist Cade Onder probed Schreier about the project, asking if it will be something along the lines of a ‘Game of the Year’ edition. He replied: “No, it’s like an expansion but big enough that they can sell it for full price.” In another post, the reporter said Sledgehammer Games will be the developer of the premium expansion, ending on “but it’s more Modern Warfare 2.” The unlikely twist there, of course, is that the Modern Warfare series has traditionally just been developed by Infinity Ward. It is also unclear as to whether there will be a name change, to reflect that, but just with similar gameplay. The studio did, however, work on Vanguard, World War II, and Advanced Warfare. While references made toward the next game in a blockbuster series could be perceived as more of the same from Activision – and a new game possibly coming – this inside information certainly muddies the water for now.

CoD 2022 leaker reveals when Modern Warfare 2 reveal & teasers will start ActivisionReputable Call of Duty leaker RalphsValve has given fans a potential date for both teasers and an official reveal of CoD 2022, which has been confirmed as an Infinity Ward developed sequel to Modern Warfare 2019. Despite Call of Duty: Vanguard being less than halfway through its life cycle, many fans of Activision’s FPS franchise are casting their minds forward to the upcoming 2022 installation. Details, unsurprisingly, remain scarce but it is believed to be called Modern Warfare II and will focus on a battle against Colombia’s infamous drug cartels. With all signs pointing to a fall release date, we now have some idea of when we can expect the game to be officially revealed by Activision and Infinity Ward, as well as when official teasers will begin to pile up. Modern Warfare 2 teaser and reveal date leaked The leaks come the way of RalphsValve, a data miner and insider who has dropped details on Call of Duty 2022 in the past, and has done so with an impressive level of accuracy. Needless to say, the accuracy of past leaks does not guarantee that these will be correct. According to him, the first official teaser for Modern Warfare II is set to drop on April 30. It’s not clear what form the teaser will take but, in the past, Activision have sent out coded puzzles to some of the game’s content creators, so we can probably expect something just as elaborate this time around. He also said that this will not be an official reveal – in which devs share gameplay and often speak about the game in detail. That, he said, is still penciled in for May of 2022. Let me preface this by saying, the Reveal is still set for May. — Ralph (@RalphsValve) April 9, 2022 As previously mentioned, this won’t be set in stone until confirmed by Activision. Plenty can change in the development process and unforeseen issues could yet push one, or both, back. There’s almost certain to be easter eggs and hints in Vanguard and Warzone too, so keep your eyes peeled as more updates drop and we get closer to May.

CoD 2021 reportedly titled ‘WWII: Vanguard’ with Sledgehammer developing Sledgehammer GamesAfter months of speculation, Call of Duty’s highly-anticipated 2021 release appears to have been locked in as ‘WWII: Vanguard,’ a follow-up to the franchise 2017’s entry developed by Sledgehammer Games. The next title in the CoD franchise seems to be set in stone after months of speculation. While a WWII setting has been heavily rumored in previous months, we now have a reported working title. “Call of Duty: WWII: Vanguard” is the tentative title of the upcoming release, according to early reports from ModernWarzone. This is allegedly the current internal codename, meaning it could change ahead of release. However, this does appear to confirm the WWII setting, along with locking in Sledgehammer Games as the 2021 title developers. With each new entry in the Call of Duty franchise comes a great deal of speculation ahead of release. One major talking point this time around is just who would be developing the series’ next expected title. Having assisted Infinity Ward on 2019’s Modern Warfare before lending a hand to Treyarch on 2020’s Black Ops Cold War, Sledgehammer Games has been rather busy. Though it appears the North American and Australian-based studios under their banners are indeed working on this WWII follow up. WWII launched in 2017, taking the series back to its ‘boots on the ground’ roots after years of futuristic warfare. While the earlier entry remained in the WWII period, the 2021 follow-up could venture into the 1950s, according to leaked intel. This release will mark Sledgehammer’s third independent title in the franchise. The devs first released Advanced Warfare in 2014, followed by WWII in 2017. It’s worth taking this information with a grain of salt for the time being, however. We could still be a few months out from an official reveal, leaving plenty of time for plans to change. While the setting appears to be locked, as do the developers, the final title could be altered from this internal codename.

CoD 2021 Warzone map locations potentially leaked for Vanguard ActivisionA brand new leak for Call of Duty 2021: Vanguard has claimed to reveal a whole host of map locations for the rumored pacific-themed Warzone map coming with the new game. While Warzone and Black Ops: Cold War continue to go from strength to strength, there are plenty of Call of Duty fans looking forward to whats coming next. According to different leaks and reports, the next CoD title will be known as Vanguard and take players back to a World War II setting, with boots on the ground being key. Given that Warzone has become such a vital part of the CoD universe, there have been plenty of questions about how the new game will incorporate it, and if we’ll get a whole new map to celebrate the jump back in time. Some leakers initially said no, we wouldn’t get a new map, but more recent reports from VGC have stated that a new map will be coming and will be both larger than Verdansk and “set in the Pacific theatre of World War II.” Now, a new leak from dataminers Nanikos and Glitchy has claimed to reveal a whole host of map locations that would be coming as a part of this huge update. It includes locations such as Airfield, Beach Head, Docks, Lagoon, Village, and Radio Station, as well as a whole host of others. Leaked Warzone map POI’s in CoD: Vanguard Arsenal – Airstrip – Airfield – Beach Head – Caldera – Capital – Docks – Farms – Lagoon – Mines – Villages – Radio Station – Subpen – https://twitter.com/_Nanikos_/status/1405757497059647495 While there’s no way to say for certain that the leak is spot on, the dataminer has been incredibly reliable in the past, so there may well be some truth to it. Additionally, similar leaks have suggested that the multiplayer Headquarters lobby and Kar98 will also return in Vanguard. As ever, we’ll have to wait and see if they end up being correct once the new game launches.

CoD 2021 setting: What will the next Call of Duty game be? ActivisionThe Call of Duty rumor mill has been steadily rumbling as FPS fans begin to point their crosshairs towards another title. As fans guess about where the ever-popular series could head next, we have pieced together the most likely CoD 2021 settings. From the blood-soaked battlefields of WWII to the fanciful firefights of the future, Call of Duty has visited numerous conflicts since it first graced our screens back in 2003. During this time, the series has developed upon its punchy gunplay, unique perk system, deadly killstreaks, and fast-paced combat. Of course, these core elements are largely dependent on each title’s setting – an area that shapes every facet of the game. Whether you’re a fan of the series’ recent modern outings or would prefer CoD 2021 to return to its WWII roots, there’s no denying just how pivotal particular conflicts are to the franchise. Not only do they determine the general look and feel of the game, but they also impact everything from the game’s campaign, multiplayer, guns, and modes. With that in mind, let’s look at the most plausible conflicts CoD 2021 could tackle next. World at war Judging from the current rumors and general timeline it certainly seems plausible that CoD 2021 could return to the WWII setting. After all, it would make sense given Sledgehammer Games is largely speculated to be the next developer. While Sledgehammer’s previous venture into CoD original stomping grounds didn’t exactly go down well with players, there’s still a lot of untold tales and areas of the conflict we have still yet to see. Read More: Who is developing Call of Duty 2021? – Even revisiting areas previously depicted in CoD’s original trilogy would make for an amazing spectacle, especially given the advancement in visuals. Given WWII’s huge scale, there is a nearly endless amount of locations that could be visited. To make things even better, Warzone integration would also be perfect and would enable players to utilize iconic guns like the Thompson, PPSh-41, Springfield, MP40, and Mosin–Nagant. Welcome to the jungle Treyarch’s Black Ops series has touched on the Vietnam war during its numerous missions with Woods and co, but it has yet to fully commit to the controversial conflict. After all, one of Black Ops Cold War’s standout missions “Fracture Jaw” gave fans a taste of what a modern Vietnam game could look like. We’d love to see CoD 2021 venture deeper into the jungle and show us battles from both the US/Southern Vietnam to that of the Northern Vietnam perspective. Not only is this period of time rich with iconic battles like the Tet Offensive and the Fall of Saigon, it also features a huge variety of weaponry. This would enable players to utilize guns from both the U.S., South Korean, Australian, New Zealand, and South and North Vietnamese forces. Due to the conflict taking place just five years after the second world war, a lot of the weapons from World War II and the First Indochina War were used by both the PAVN (People’s Army of Vietnam) and the US/allied forces during the offensive. While the Vietnam War is certainly shrouded in controversy, the Call of Duty franchise has never shied away from depicting the darker aspects of war. Quite whether we’ll here hear Ride of the Valkyries the next time we jump into the gunship remains to be seen. Not so Advanced Warfare With a lot of rumors pointing towards Sledgehammer games as CoD 2021’s lead developer, a lot of fans believe that we could see the return of Advanced Warfare. This futuristic title drastically switched up gameplay thanks to the Exo suit movement system, which gave players more mobility than ever before. However, the added dashes and aerial boosts didn’t prove popular among fans that preferred the boots on the ground approach to combat. Renowned Call of Duty Leaker, Tom Henderson believes that if Sledgehammer is working on an Advanced Warfare title, then the game will likely be a prequel. This would certainly help to alleviate the previous game’s clunky movement system, while also removing the laser-themed weapons from the current arsenal. Advanced Warfare was set between 2054 and 2061, so a title that takes place 10 to 20 years before that would certainly be interesting. Not only would a prequel cater to those that prefer modern Call of Duty settings, but it would also cut out a lot of the sci-fi fluff that comes with it. Modern Warfare sequel Call of Duty fans have wanted a Modern Warfare 2 remaster for years and while the campaign received a visual update with the launch of Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered, it didn’t scratch that multiplayer itch. The remastered campaign launched last year and there are still no signs of a multiplayer expansion. It’s widely speculated that the multiplayer remaster was cut due to fears that it would split the community and drive players away from Modern Warfare/Black Ops Cold War. After all, MW2 is an insanely popular title and one that many CoD fans would be more than happy to revisit. There was even a rumor that Call of Duty 2021 could be a follow-up to Modern Warfare 3 or a direct continuation from the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot. Whether Call of Duty will choose to ditch the numbered approach to future releases remain to be seen, but Black Ops Cold War certainly proves that it is likely. For now, though, these are the most likely settings that CoD 2021 could visit. Make sure you check out our CoD 2021 hub for all the latest leaks, rumors, release date, and developer updates.

CoD 2021 leaker hints at iconic MW2 map coming back in Vanguard ActivisionThe iconic CoD map Terminal could be set for a World War II-themed remake if claims from a handful of Call of Duty leakers turn out to be correct. Remaking classic Call of Duty maps has become somewhat of a staple for the franchise in recent years. There have been countless Nuketown remodels, and maps like Rust have been brought back with slight tweaks as well. With attention starting to turn away from Black Ops Cold War and to the next release – rumored to be called Vanguard – leakers have started to uncover some details about the new game. Vanguard is set to be a World War II boots-on-the-ground throwback, bringing a Pacific-themed Warzone map, and some classic weapons. It’s also set to have its fair share of map remakes. According to previous leaks from reliable insider MW2Ghost, the WWII map London Docks will be remade for the new game and should appear at some point as multiplayer DLC. The leaker also teased a “WW2 version of a very fan-favorite map from a very iconic cod game” was also in the works, but that they couldn’t reveal exactly what it was just yet. However, it appears as if that map could be Terminal. ModernWarzone noted that the leaker changed had their Twitter location to ‘Terminal WW2’ at some point, seemingly teasing that the iconic Modern Warfare 2 map is the one in question. Take this with a grain of salt, but Ghost has been accurate with some of his map leaks in the past pre-release. Obviously the era doesn’t match the terminal we know, but COD can honestly do whatever they want. pic.twitter.com/xbvQct3gso — ModernWarzone (@ModernWarzone) July 1, 2021 While some fans were quick on the draw in pointing out that Terminal isn’t exactly World War II-related, it has been done before. A WW2 version of Shipment was used in the last WWII game, and has also been in Call of Duty: Mobile. The leaker has been spot on with plenty of leaks previously, but it’ll take some time before we know if it’s true or not. So, it’s worth taking with a grain of salt, just for now.

CoD 2021 reportedly set in alt-history timeline where World War 2 never ended Sledgehammer GamesCall of Duty’s 2021 release, reportedly codenamed: ‘WWII: Vanguard,’ will seemingly take place in an alternate timeline where World War II continued well past 1945, and deep into the 1950s. Hot off the heels of an internal codename slipping through the cracks, more details surrounding the next CoD title have been revealed. The upcoming Sledgehammer Games release is reportedly set to take place in an alternate history timeline, according to ModernWarzone. In this fictional rendition, World War II continued beyond 1945. “This entire game takes place in an alternate timeline where 1945 wasn’t the end of World War II,” sources allegedly told the prominent CoD leakers. This aligns with previous leaks that hinted towards a 1950’s setting. The second world war would still be raging on through the next decade, though there’s no telling what the story might entail beyond that. From exact locations to the characters we’ll be playing, key details remain under wraps, for now. If this leaked intel holds true, ‘Vanguard’ could be among the first CoD titles to embrace the alt-history genre. While previous entries have delved into futuristic settings and asked ‘what ifs,’ none have gone as far as prolonging a world war. Beyond the storyline potential, there’s also no telling just how this might impact gameplay. With technological innovations reaching new heights throughout WWII, extending this period may have led to all manner of advancements in the 50s. From upgraded weaponry to unique vehicles, nothing is off-limits in a fictitious timeline. Naturally, this alternate timeline is sure to impact the multiplayer experience as well. Wherever the single-player storyline goes, it’s safe to expect near-identical gameplay in competitive modes. This isn’t the first time an FPS franchise will have leaned into alt-history either. The super-popular Wolfenstein franchise has often adopted a similar narrative over the years. The id Software franchise takes place in a reality where Axis powers won World War II, and explores the fall out of that fictitious victory. Perhaps the upcoming CoD will follow suit, or maybe the war is still ongoing as players dive into the storyline. We’ll just have to wait and see as Sledgehammer’s release draws near — Dexerto will keep you updated on all developments.

CoD 2020 leaker reveals potential maps, perks, guns and killstreaks ActivisionCall of Duty leaker TheGamingRevolution has revealed some more details about CoD 2020, including a few of the early weapons, killstreaks, and perks that have been leaked. Even though plenty of CoD fans are still hyped up on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, others are looking to future – hoping that CoD 2020 might bring them a bit more luck, joy, and entertainment than this year’s game. There has been speculation about a return to the popular Black Ops series, with early gameplay leaks even coming to the surface in recent days. Yet, TheGamingRevolution appears to have gotten his hands on even more details. In his June 5 YouTube video, the reliable Call of Duty leaker noted that a few of the game’s weapons are already known – including two assault rifles and two pistols. These, according to the leaker, are the Daewoo K2, M16, an AK-looking rifle, the 1911 pistol, and a Colt revolver. However, he noted that these aren’t final and could change depending on whether or not Activision secures the rights to give them their proper names. Aside from the weapons, he also added that the killstreaks that are currently in-game are actually scorestreaks, but this could very well change. The YouTuber said that the RC-XD, Chopper Gunner, Napalm Strike, Artillery strike, and a flamethrower-based streak are all apparently killstreaks in-game. He also added that the UAV, Counter-UAV, and Dogs should make a return – as well as a streak that allows players to call in a plane that takes out enemy streaks that might be causing them problems. In terms of maps and perks, TheGamingRev noted that the map seen in the leaked gameplay is apparently known as ‘Tank’ and aside from the rumors about fan-favorite maps returning, most of his information centers around Ground War. For perks, there is, apparently no Dead Silence – though that could change. With the Toughness perk from Black Ops II also supposedly returning. Obviously, as none of this is verifiable until the game comes out, it is worth taking with a pinch of salt even though the YouTuber has proven to be reliable thanks to his CoD: Modern Warfare leaks.

CoD 2020 leak reveals campaign missions for Black Ops Cold War Activision[jwplayer QvLAnrCP] A leaked list of the campaign missions for Call of Duty: 2020 appears to confirm that players will return to parts of the original Black Ops storyline. Since Treyarch has remained tight-lipped surrounding information pertaining to the 2020 iteration into the Call of Duty franchise, leaks and supposed inside information has fueled the majority of what we know. After the ‘Red Door’ alpha appeared on the Xbox Live store with the codename ‘Black Ops CIA,’ there has been more fuel added to the fire — with plenty speculating around the meaning of the ominous cover art. But now it appears that we now have our first major piece of information relating to the game’s campaign — which is rumored to be based around the events of the Cold War — with a list of the campaign missions being leaked. CoD 2020 leaked campaign missions Prominent data miner, ‘ModernWarzone’ posted a list of the supposed CoD 2020 campaign missions, referencing their source as ‘ProtoWarehouse’ — a fellow data miner who’s also discovered hidden weapon animations for Modern Warfare. Most notably, the list includes distinct references to Vietnam and the Nicaraguan Revolution, both of which have previously played a pivotal role in the Black Ops storyline. Should these missions be in chronological order, then it appears that players will be visiting the events in Vietnam first; with ‘nam_armada’ and ‘nam_prisoner’ likely pertaining to missions based in Vietnam. #Cod2020 campaign missions nam_armada nam_prisoner nic_revolution rus_amerika rus_duga rus_kgb rus_siege rus_yamantau (sidemission) tundra (sidemission) takedown takedown@ModernWarzone(Via @ProtoWarehouse) — DougDagnabbit (@dougdagnabbit) July 19, 2020 So where are the ties into Black Ops lore? It’s the third mission on the list, ‘nic_revolution,’ which sparks the most interest. Occurring after the inception of the Vietnam War, the Nicaraguan Revolution is a pivotal part of the Cold War and also marks a time where a certain Raul Menendez (nemesis to Woods and Mason) developed his hatred for the west. Given Treyarch’s readiness to revisit the events of the past to tell their story, it’s entirely plausible that we’ll be returning to Nicaragua before the events of Black Ops II’s ‘Time and Fate’ mission, which revolves around Mason raiding Menendez’ mansion. Mount Yamantau is also a location that players visited in the original Black Ops game, in the mission WMD, and is the location of classic multiplayer maps WMD and Summit. This is all open to interpretation, of course, but it is without a doubt the largest piece of information that we have received on Call of Duty 2020’s campaign to-date.As with all leaks, though, they must be taken with a pinch of salt until there’s any official confirmation. A trailer is said to be just around the corner, with the most abundant theory being that fans will be able to watch the trailer inside Verdansk’s Stadium POI, should it open up as part of Warzone’s sixth season.

CoD 2020 leak claims iconic Black Ops II Zombies map returning TreyarchCall of Duty leaker ‘TheGamingRevolution’ has claimed that Treyarch’s 2020 installment will feature a remake of ‘TranZit’, the insanely popular Black Ops II Zombies setting. As 2019’s Modern Warfare passes the halfway point of its life-cycle, the CoD community’s attention is turning to the 2020 installment of Activision’s immensely popular FPS title. While a number of specifics about next year’s game are still unclear, it looks to be a Cold War-era game developed by Treyarch. With Treyarch working on the game, it is no surprise that a zombies mode is widely expected to return. Details are particularly scarce about zombies, but new information from veteran CoD leaker TheGamingRevolution suggests a fan-favorite map is set to return. In a May 10 YouTube video, the leaker outlined everything fans can expect in CoD 2020’s zombies mode, including a remake of TranZit from Black Ops II. The immensely popular map was known for its volcanic setting and dimension-warping bus. According to TGR, there are game files available at the moment, which indicate TranZit has been remastered already. He suggests Activision are simply waiting on the correct time to release them – as they did with MW2’s Remastered Campaign. As there is no zombies in Modern Warfare, TGR believes we’ll see a TranZit remake in CoD 2020. To compound these files, TGR states that his sources have “alluded” to a TranZit return in CoD 2020, and that their communication with him is strongly suggestive of its return. Topic starts at 3:05 – Away from the return of TranZit, TGR said that he expects CoD 2020 zombies to feature a mixture of new maps and re-skinned fan favorites. This would fit with trends we’ve seen in recent CoD titles, many of which have brought older maps for both multiplayer and zombies. One of the final points made by TGR is that CoD 2020 will include perks and a pack-a-punch system that are more akin to the systems we saw in older CoDs. Black Ops 4’s zombies attempted to revolutionize the game’s perk system, in a change that received mixed feedback. The future of CoD’s zombies has been pretty unclear of late, with a couple of the mode’s biggest names leaving Treyarch. Back in February, Jason Blundell, one of the mode’s original innovators, confirmed his departure from Treyarch. Similarly, Lee Ross, known for his work on Infinite Warfare’s zombies, confirmed he had ceased working for Activision on May 9. It goes without saying that these claims are unconfirmed, and will remain that way until we get official announcements from Activision or Treyarch. TGR has correctly leaked CoD information in the past though, like Modern Warfare’s Gunfight mode and Warzone battle royale.

CoD 2020 leak claims Black Ops Cold War reveal coming in Warzone’s Gulag Treyarch/Infinity Ward[jwplayer hIdb9BM6]ModernWarzone, a prominent Call of Duty 2020 and Warzone leaker, has claimed that next year’s game – rumored to be titled Black Ops Cold War – will be revealed through Warzone’s infamous Gulag. As far as Call of Duty 2020 is going, details are piling up fast. It seems that, after months of information eking out, we are finally nearing an official reveal from Activision, Treyarch, and Raven Software. Whereas past Call of Duty games have been revealed separate to the most recent, rumors have swirled that Warzone will be used to announce the alleged Black Ops Cold War title. We have already seen teasers in Warzone, like deconstructed RC-XDs. This, paired with the fact that Activision have confirmed Warzone will be present in future CoD titles, makes an official reveal in CoD’s second battle royale seem possible. The news that Black Ops Cold War could be revealed in Warzone has now been refined further, with one prominent CoD leaker claiming that it will take place in the “Gulag Area”. ModernWarzone, who has correctly leaked CoD 2020 details and Warzone information in the past, stated on August 8 that the “Zeus Reveal” will be taking place in the “Gulag Area”. “Zeus” is widely believed to be the official code name for Black Ops Cold War, while the “Gulag Area” is an obvious reference to Warzone. However, it might not be that simple. There is actually a Gulag area of the Verdansk map, separate to the area players are taken to upon being killed. Located under the Prison and accessible via pipes or staircases, these seem to be hinted at for the reveal of CoD 2020. It goes without saying that, despite a proven track record, there is no guarantee that the Black Ops Cold War announcement will originate in the Gulag. If you are in that area of Verdansk though, keep your eyes open.

CoD 2020 Black Ops teasers in Warzone Bunker 11: Nuke, RC-XD, more ActivisionWarzone’s Bunker 11 is the hot topic of conversation and could be giving some of the biggest teasers for 2020’s Call of Duty, rumored to be called Black Ops Cold War. Teasers for Call of Duty 2020 have been expected to land in May for some time. With YouTubers TheGamingRevolution and LongSensation pitching in on the speculation, fans have been eagerly awaiting some intel on the next installment. Following May 18’s Warzone update, the bunkers have been open for business. But specifically, it appears that Bunker 11 holds all the answers — so let’s join the dots! Although for those reading on, here’s your spoiler warning for the Bunker 11 easter egg! Black Ops: Cold War in Warzone? Alongside the nuke that has been spotted in Bunker 11, there is a war room that looks reminiscent of the one featured in the U.S.D.D mission from the Black Ops 1 campaign. On top of that, there is a ‘big red button’ inside the server room, which many believe is related to the nuke that is also housed inside of the bunker — something that plenty are tying to a potential in-game live event that could be on the horizon. But, that’s not all. The frame of the trademark RC-XD from the Black Ops series has been spotted in a hut just west of the Prison POI in Verdansk. Here’s a couple of pictures of the RCXD in #warzone. Thanks to @notyumei for sending these to me! #CallOfDuty #BlackOpsColdWar #ModernWarfare #CodWarzone pic.twitter.com/Wjt7RB0kWe — ModernWarzone (@ModernWarzone) May 22, 2020 Add the fact that there is still a yet-to-be-discovered easter egg pertaining to the computers dotted all over Verdansk and there is reason to believe that whatever Activision has up their sleeves directly relates to Call of Duty 2020. Modern Warfare & Warzone patch notes At the foot of Modern Warfare and Warzone’s May 18 patch notes, there was a cryptic message which fans have been attempting to decipher. The very end of the patch notes has this 🤔 https://t.co/DeBn8VYmeX pic.twitter.com/50tEcJNceM — CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) May 19, 2020 As expected, one shrewd fan has potentially cracked the code of redacted messages scattered all around Verdansk, claiming that the message reads: “Number station Rusalka is Protocol Yellow. Activate Sleeper Cells system. Project Nova is inbound. Awaiting correct authorization.” If that’s the case, the use of ‘sleeper cells’ is a clear point in the direction of the Black Ops 1 campaign, where Alex Mason’s narrative revolves around him being a brainwashed sleeper agent who’d been captured by Soviet hostiles in a bid to extract information. Adding to that, ‘Project Nova’ refers to the development of Nova 6 — a biochemical weapon which was developed by Nazi, Soviet, and Coalescence scientists as part of Black Ops storyline, and was deployed via – you guessed it – a nuclear warhead (V2 rocket). So what does all this mean? Well with plenty anticipating a live event to be imminent, there’s scope for Verdansk’s landscape to be altered via a catastrophic event that ties into the aforementioned Black Ops’ lore. Moreover, this would lineup with various claims that Warzone will host Call of Duty 2020 teasers — the first of its kind in the game’s history.

CoD 2019: Rumor suggests Modern Warfare 4 with Specialists, Battle Royale mode A new, highly dubious, Modern Warfare 4 leak is circulating social media and contains major information for the next title. The Call of Duty community is already starting to piece together the next edition of the series. Although the Modern Warfare 4 title is yet to be confirmed, that has not stopped rumors from surfacing with details. According to a new leak, Call of Duty 2019 will be Modern Warfare 4 and the multiplayer portion will feature Specialists. In addition, the Battle Royale mode that first appeared in Black Ops 4 will return with a MW version. The source of the leak is an image being spread across social media. In addition to the specialists information, the image contains details about the campaign, zombies and even the multiplayer announcer. this is the leaked info that is floating around about #MW4, what are your thoughts? ATTENTION none of this is confirmed in any way by anyone… all of this could VERY likely be fabricated and made up… but… if it was true, whatcha think? pic.twitter.com/2NL5MPXWbU — Chaos (@Chaosxsilencer) January 5, 2019 Due to the nature of the leak and the information that ranges from plausible, educated guess to ridiculous speculation, these new rumors should be taken with a very, very large grain of salt. Read More: Black Ops 4: Treyarch’s Vonderhaar reveals first look at brand new stash looting system in Blackout – Rumors started that Infinite Warfare 2 was not going to happen once Infinity Ward’s Community Manager tweeted images of skulls – implying something about Ghosts or Modern Warfare. When the Ghosts 2 rumor was emphatically denied, focus switched to Modern Warfare 4. Activision and Treyarch have successfully pulled off a “greatest hits” edition of the Black Ops series with Black Ops 4, leading some to guess a Modern Warfare version is on the way from Infinity Ward.

CoD 2019: “”Game-changing”” rumored Modern Warfare 4 will be revealed very soon it will actually be Modern Warfare 4. All early signs have pointed towards the next part of the iconic Infinity Ward series, which hasn’t had a release since 2011. A ton of ‘leaks’ and rumors have surfaced in the meantime, yet, Activision has remained vague about what they will be publishing – only teasing a return to game’s roots and a “game-changing” experience. Yet, they’ve finally let slip just when we will be able to see what they have for us. When will Call of Duty 2019 be revealed? During the company’s quarterly earnings call on May 2, Activision, again, walked back over old ground with their excitement about the next title and just how “game-changing” they believe that Infinity Ward’s new release will be. However, there was also a somewhat firm confirmation of when we can expect to see an announcement about the next title. Activision revealed that the game will be revealed before the end of this financial quarter – which ends on June 30. While there was no exact date announced, we know that we will be seeing the next installment of the iconic franchise sooner rather than later. Previous Infinity Ward releases have traditionally been announced towards the end of May, so while the long wait appears to be drawing to a close, there is still some time to go just yet. – Acti Feel good about next Call of Duty game and are excited to show it. – Will be revealed before the end of the quarter (Ends June 30th). – Call of Duty Mobile is developed by Tencent’s TIMI studio. Interest from community is high. Over 10m pre registrations on Google Play.— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 2, 2019 Black Ops 4 will receive further content While Activision was focused on reiterating some of the details they’ve already spoken about when it comes to the next game, they did also confirm that Black Ops 4 will not fall to the wayside anytime soon. During the call, the publisher’s noted that Black Ops 4’s total hours played growing double digits year over year when compared to WWII and that new content, modes, and events will be released moving forward to “sustain reach and attract new users.” It remains to be seen just what operations and further plans that Treyarch has up their sleeve.

CoD 2019: Ex-Naughty Dog devs “helping a lot” with campaign for rumored MW4 ActivisionA number of former Naughty Dog developers and designers moved to Infinity Ward to work on 2016’s Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, and their story-telling expertise is once again being utilized for the next IW CoD game, believed to be Modern Warfare 4. The next Call of Duty game hasn’t even been officially revealed yet, but fans are already hopping on the proverbial hype train – expecting Modern Warfare 4 – and they will be hoping for a return to form for the series once beloved single-player campaign. Multiplayer is typically the main attraction for Call of Duty players, but with Black Ops 4 completely abandoning a campaign, the response showed that some still enjoy the single-player narrative experience. The campaign in Infinity Ward’s last game was very well received, considered to be among the very best CoD campaigns, and it was undoubtedly, in part, thanks to the recruitment of some of Naughty Dog’s best. Naughty Dog are best known for games like The Last of Us and the Uncharted series, both titles praised for their great story and characters. The narrative director at Infinity Ward, who worked on Infinite Warfare too, Taylor Kurosaki, comes from Naughty Dog, as well as a handful of others. During a livestream on May 11, an Infinity Ward developer explained that the former Naughty Dog guys working with them are “helping a lot with story stuff.” Although Infinite Warfare received mixed reviews for it’s multiplayer portion, the campaign mode was generally well liked, and with the track record of these former Naughty Dog developers, the return of a campaign mode in the next Call of Duty could be a return to form. It’s expected that the fourth entry in the Modern Warfare series will be revealed in late May or early June, and Call of Duty is also confirmed to feature at E3. Typically, campaign is revealed first, and multiplayer second, so it’s only a matter of weeks until fans get to see what the Infinity Ward team has been working on for the single-player mode.

Cocky Warzone player loses game with embarrassing Cluster Strike blunder ActivisionCall of Duty: Warzone has many features and ways to win a game. Players can fight back from the Gulag, get loadouts, and even buy killstreaks to aid them in their path to victory. One player however was a bit too confident, and his Cluster Strike made him pay big time. Warzone has many features integrated from Call of Duty such as weapons, vehicles and killstreaks. These can be found through ground loot, purchased from buy stations or taken off corpses of the fallen. Players are using anything they can to pick up wins and sometimes as the gas starts to move in things can get a little spicy in Verdansk. Warzone has many teachable moments that players can learn from to improve their game play. This one reminds us never to start celebrating a win before it actually happens. Too much confidence results in a Warzone loss Warzone players love grinding out wins so they can brag to their friends with how many they have and be the best. The clip below posted by ‘villabrus’ shows them in a 1v1 to win the game. Unfortunately, for the player the circle is not in their favor and the enemy calls in a cluster strike. This is where the fun begins and you see one of the craziest endings ever. As seen in the clip the player is downed by the killstreak but luckily they still have a self-revive kit so it does not instantly kill them. The opponent thinks they have it in the bag and goes for the execute to finish off the win. Before they can finish the execution the cluster rains down some friendly fire and takes them out leading to the downed person winning the game. This is why you never celebrate early because nothing is ever guaranteed. Certainly this is one of the wackiest ways to win a game of Warzone and this reminds everyone to never be cocky.

CoDBurner reckons he knows Gunless’ next move The CoDBurner believes Peirce ‘Gunless’ Hillman will leave Rise Nation before the start of the new Call of Duty season, and thinks there are two likely places for him to end up. CoDBurner made his claims on his /r/CoDBurnerIntel subreddit, where he regularly posts insider information regarding roster moves. The burner stated: “From what I hear, LG sticks and adds Gunless, unless ‘rich guy’ buys,” indicating that he thinks the current Luminosity lineup of Formal, Slacked, John and JKap will remain with the organization, and simply add Gunless as their final member. However, the mysterious ‘rich guy’ could throw a wrench in Luminosity’s plans. The CoDBurner has been reporting for months that a wealthy business owner is desperate to enter Call of Duty esports, and is reportedly offering massive amounts of money to players in an attempt to secure their signature. CoDBurner believes that the wealthy businessman could make a play for Gunless, and if he did, it may be enough to turn the head of the CWL Seattle MVP. The Rise Nation player would be a major acquisition if the rich guy could pull it off, and he could possibly use the hype surrounding Gunless as a platform to build a team. Of course, as with all information from the CoDBurner, it’s important to note that all these claims are unsubstantiated and none of the information he posts is guaranteed to be accurate.

CoD veterans MBoZe and StuDyy announce roster for $250,000 CWL Vegas tournament Call of Duty veterans Marcus ‘MBoZe’ Blanks and Jeremy ‘StuDyy’ Astacio are teaming up for the upcoming $250,000 CWL Vegas event. A roster featuring the two longtime competitors was announced late on November 22, also featuring Brandon ‘Nelson’ McKinney, Steve ‘Mochila’ Canle, and Jon ‘Bullseye.’ The squad is looking for an organization to represent at Vegas, and are hoping for a “chance to compete and mop the bracket,” according to a tweet put out by Nelson. If they do make it to Vegas, they will have to survive the gauntlet that is the Open Bracket, which looks to feature several strong teams that just miss out on qualifying directly to Pool Pool. Myself, @OpTicMBoZe , @JeremyStuD , @Mochila and @JonBullseye are seeking an organization for #CWLVegas! We aren’t asking for too much just looking for the chance to compete and mop the bracket. DM one of us if interested and please RT :heart:️ — nels (@BNellyNelson) November 23, 2018 It would be hard to predict how well or poorly this roster would perform at a major LAN tournament, especially since several of these players haven’t competed in a while. MBoZe last competed during the Black Ops 3 season in 2015, first as a member of Nation, then with Team Kaliber. During his heyday, MBoZe was known for his time with FaZe Clan, SoaR Gaming, OpTic Nation, and OpTic Gaming, with whom he placed third at the 2014 CoD Championship. StuDyy’s last appearance at a major tournament came in April as a member of compLexity Gaming, placing 25-28 at CWL Birmingham. It was after this event that he transitioned to an analyst role with the team for the remainder of the WWII season. As for Nelson and Mochila, both competed throughout the WWII season, eventually joining forces on a team called WrangleR. They placed 25-31 at the 2018 CWL Champs LCQ, missing out on a place at Champs.

CoD pros can’t believe Call of Duty Mobile launched with Ranked mode Call of DutyCall of Duty fans were surprised to see CoD mobile feature a ranked playlist at launch – a feature which is often delayed by months in main entries to the series. The community was shocked after discovering that a ranked mode would be available to CoD Mobile users immediately, unlike previous titles in the franchise, which had to wait for months after launch before the mode was installed. The most recent example is Black Ops 4, where players had to wait for over four months for ranked play to be finally be added, and when the playlist was eventually added on February 21 there was backlash from the community that it was somewhat incomplete. Two-Time World Champion, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks expressed that the release of a competitive ladder on CoD Mobile’s launch felt like a slap in the face. Read More: Hitch and Team Summertime join H3CZ at NRG – “I know it’s two completely different developers and stuff but CoD Mobile launching with a fully fleshed out ranked mode is the biggest slap in the face.” The former eUnited star explained, “I’ve actually become so jaded that it’s expected at this point, but c’mon man.” I know it’s two completely different developers and stuff but CoD Mobile launching with a fully fleshed out ranked mode is the biggest slap in the face. I’ve actually become so jaded that it’s expected at this point, but c’mon man — Clayster (@Clayster) October 1, 2019 Former pro Joe ‘MerK’ DeLuca replied to Clayster, sharing the same sentiment explaining his thoughts on the CoD Mobile ranked play release. “Reading the comments from everyone who has played it definitely hurts the soul a bit.” MerK If anything to me this just says, if we want to we can, but I think we all knew that.” Clay then suggested that the usual delay in other CoD’s ranked titles could be due to a lack of resources dedicated to the competitive side of the game, “They know they can, they just choose to not allocate enough of a team to make it what it could be,” the Call of Duty star expressed, revealing his disappointment. Yeah, that’s the biggest part for me. We know they can, they know they can, they just choose to not allocate enough of a team to make it what it could be. There’s like 10 things we need from a ranked playlist and can never seem to get all 10 at once, I’m just so disappointed. — Clayster (@Clayster) October 1, 2019 Popular YouTuber, OMGItsBirdman, was also among the first to share his surprise with the news by highlighting how long it has taken past title to introduce Ranked Play: “Call of Duty mobile has ranked play on launch but the last 3 actual Call of Duty games took 6 months to add it in.” Call of Duty mobile has ranked play on launch but the last 3 actual Call of Duty games took 6 months to add it in — Anthony (@OMGItsBirdman) October 1, 2019 However, FaZe Clan’s Doug ‘Censor’ Martin took inspiration from the new CoD release, which features all of the best weapons and maps in CoD history, and proposed that they do similar for console and PC. “Imagine if COD took the greatest maps, guns, camos, killstreaks and compiled it all into 1 video game.” the YouTube star posted, before suggesting a similar approach Fortnite’s content updates, “then added consistent DLC weekly and got rid of the yearly COD cycle and just worked on this? Re-brand the entire franchise to literally “Call of Duty”. You see Fortnite changing gaming. Just copy what they do and add your own twist. It can’t be that difficult to do this. — FaZe Censor (@Censor) October 2, 2019 Censor’s suggestion would likely allow for more time to be allocated towards competitive and with the Call of Duty franchise league set to get underway in 2020, it is probable that many pros would favor that approach. Although it is unlikely to happen, at least for a few years, with Modern Warfare and the new Treyarch title already in development, fans of competitive CoD can only hope that ranked play can be added sooner some of the previous iterations. As of now, it is unknown when ranked play is set to release for Modern warfare, as developers have hinted at an “aggressive post-launch plan” for the Infinity ward game.

CoD pro Parasite shares concerning news about his competitive Black Ops 4 future Professional Call of Duty player Christopher ‘Parasite’ Duarte has revealed that he is struggling to find a team to compete with in Black Ops 4. The former World Champion took to Twitter to announce that he is yet to find a squad to play alongside, with Black Ops 4 set to release on Friday, October 12. Parasite felt during the summer that he wouldn’t have a problem finding a squad, but since then his thoughts have changed, with him saying: “This off season I went from feeling that things were gonna be fine to feeling hopeless.” Duarte had hoped that his performances during the World War II season, including a top 12 finish at the 2018 CWL Championships, would be enough to earn him a spot on a top team, but he believes that his behaviour in the past may be the reason he finds himself on his own. “I don’t understand what more I’ve got to do to please my critics when I’ve tried everything,” stated the former Ghost Gaming star. “The fact that so many people in this community still hold grudges or just overlook me is saddening.” Me is just saddening. This off season I went from feeling that things were gonna be fine to feeling hopeless. I don’t understand what more I gotta do to please my critics when I’ve tried everything. I just wish others would see in me what I see in myself. — Christopher Duarte (@Parasite) October 7, 2018 Parasite believes that he has grown as a person after last year’s Call of Duty season, saying: “I performed well and made the best out of wherever I was. I made great strides to become a better teammate and become more patient with others mistakes as well as acknowledging my own. “I just wish others would see in me what I see in myself.” Unfortunately for Parasite, a lot of Call of Duty’s top teams have already made roster changes ahead of the franchise’s switch to 5v5 competitive play, so it may be another year of grinding through the open bracket for the legendary CoD player.

CoD pro Jurd witnesses stunning glitch with Black Ops 4’s Gravity Slam Call of Duty professional player Jordan ‘Jurd’ Crowley was left stunned by an incredible glitch with Ruin’s Gravity Slam on Black Ops 4. Jurd and his Splyce team were taking on 100 Thieves on Frequency Control with 100T on the defensive side. Crowley attempted to break into Capture Zone A, taking down Kenny ‘Kenny’ Williams as he slid back and forth around the zone and tried to avoid getting killed. With 100 Thieves contesting the zone, Jurd spotted Sam ‘Octane’ Larew and Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat pushing towards the capture area from their spawn. Thinking quickly, the Irishman decided this was the right time to use Ruin’s Gravity Slam – a specialist ability where the character slams into the ground, killing any enemies in the vicinity. Read More: EU CWL 2K reaches semi-final stage, Tainted Minds vs Mindfreak rivalry continues in APAC 2K – Unfortunately for Jurd, things didn’t work out quite as he had expected, as he could only watch in horror as his character slammed down the Gravity Slam to absolutely no effect, dealing no damage to any of his opponents. We’re not sure what caused this crazy glitch to happen, but Treyarch Senior Game Designer Matt Scronce was quick to follow up, calling the incident “odd” and confirming that he planned to “check it out.” The Irish player has been at the forefront of European Call of Duty since 2013, when he joined Epsilon Esports. Since then, Jurd has gone on to compete for TCM, Millenium and even Team Envy before joining Splyce in 2016. Jurd has since moved to America to continue his association with the organization, and will be competing as part of Splyce’s international roster for the Black Ops 4 season. Splyce are currently competing in the CMG Prodown tournament, where they find themselves in the final four heading into the final day of the online competition.

CoD: Modern Warfare leak suggests massive multiplayer changes – Cross-platform, class system and more Infinity WardA Chinese leaker who claims to have insider knowledge on the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare game claims that Infinity Ward intend on making some major changes to the game’s multiplayer mode. The developers, alongside publisher Activision, are set to reveal Modern Warfare for the first time on May 30, but now a leaker using the name Victor__Z on Twitter appears to have leaked a ton of new information regarding the game’s single-player, multiplayer and micro-transaction system. Victor__Z previously revealed that he was aware that the title of the game would not be Modern Warfare 4 back in April, weeks before the news broke, but as with any leaks, any information should be taken as a rumor and not as fact. Major changes could be coming to multiplayer In a Reddit post translating Victor__Z’s now-deleted tweets, the leaker states that the multiplayer portion of the game may be free to play, which would match up with a Kotaku report that stated Activision were considering this model for the game. The leaker also mentioned cross-platform “connectivity between PC, PS4 and Xbox” but didn’t specifically confirm that this was full cross-platform play, A change to the micro-transaction model is apparently also in the works, similar to the one used in Infinite Warfare and World War II, which will be tested in Black Ops 4 later this year. One of the most surprising inclusions in the leaks are the sweeping changes to multiplayer. He suggests that Modern Warfare will move back to the automatically regenerating 100 health points system from previous games, and says that weapons have high recoil. Victor__Z also states that the “Pick 10” system for choosing classes is gone, and the game will also scrap Specialist characters, and shockingly ditch the minimap entirely, which has been a staple of Call of Duty for over a decade. The leaker also discussed the idea of “skills”, which give players active and passive perks to use in game, but what these entail is currently unknown. Victor__Z finished up by talking about weapons, which players will apparently be able to equip four attachments to. Modern Warfare single-player campaign, Co-Op and Modern Warfare 2 Remastered For fans hoping to get their hands on a remastered version of fan-favorite title Modern Warfare 2, Victor__Z has bad news, as he claims there will not be an updated version of the game releasing alongside Modern Warfare. The game’s campaign will be based around a story of anti-terrorism, and will feature three main protagonists, two male and one female, whose stories will eventually join together at the finale of the story. Read More: Call of Duty YouTube page leaks Modern Warfare game art, sneak peek clip, and release date – There will also be a Co-op mode, however Victor__Z states that what it is remains extremely secretive, and while it is “apparently large enough to be its own game,” may not be available upon the game’s release. While Victor__Z has been accurate with leaks regarding the next installment in the Call of Duty franchise before, it’s worth remembering that nothing is confirmed until Activision or Infinity Ward announce it themselves.

CoD fans split after Infinity Ward claims Modern Warfare is ‘not political’ ActivisionCall of Duty fans are seemingly divided following a number of Infinity Ward developers stating that the upcoming Modern Warfare will not be a “political” game. As Modern Warfare’s October 25 release date edges closer, information regarding the game is trickling out. One thing that has emerged recently is the lack of a “political” stance taken by the game, in any of its modes. The first time this news broke was during Game Informer’s ‘129 Rapid Fire Questions About Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’ interview. In that video, Infinity Ward’s Art Director, Joel Emslie, was asked whether Modern Warfare is political. In response to Game Informer’s question, Emslie simply replied: “No. We’re just making a game.” He then followed this up by saying it would be “insane” to make a political game. However, he did describe the game’s main narrative as a “very relevant contemporary war story”. Adopting a similar approach to Emslie, Jacob Minkoff, the game’s Campaign Gameplay Director responded: “I don’t think that it’s a political game.” Despite that, he acknowledged that the term “politics” means different things to different people, and that topics relevant to today’s political landscape are touched within the game. Minkoff continued: “Are we telling a story that has anything to do with the specific governments of any country that we are portraying? No. So if you’re asking ‘Is Trump in the video game?’ No he isn’t.” Fan responses have been fairly divided to the news, with some arguing a game about ‘modern warfare’ will be inherently political, while others are pleased to see such a popular game avoiding such a divisive topic. Imagine unironically believing a war game can ever be apolitical. — Queen Adrian (@queen_adrianV) August 8, 2019 Lol just take a hard stance and say you’re making a political game instead of lying — Citrus :tangerine: (@citrusthenerd) August 8, 2019 Love that they are trying not to be political https://t.co/txVW5M6BkC — Craniusmaxximus (@craniusmaxximus) August 10, 2019 H/T: ComicBook There has been much speculation about Modern Warfare’s specific setting, with many questioning whether the game will comment on relevant themes, or try and offer some political commentary on modern wars. 2017’s Call of Duty: WWII was criticized by some for the inclusion of female soldiers in Multiplayer, due to historical inaccuracy. Some perceived this as political influence within video games, and a need to conform to political correctness. However, it seems that Infinity Ward are not too interested in politics, and are just focused on making an immersive, enjoyable game.

CMG ProDown tournament January 27 ft. OpTic, eUnited, Envy and more – Bracket, schedule and streams The next instalment of the $2,500 CMG ProDown tournament takes place over January 27 and 28, as some of the best North American-based Call of Duty teams take part in the online event. The majority of the field is made up of professional rosters, with some aspiring pro teams making up the numbers, making sure that whatever stream you tune into, you’re sure to see some of the some of best talent in the game. With CWL 2K tournaments now pretty much meaningless for professional teams as they’ve acquired the needed Pro Points, the CMG ProDown should give them some tougher practice in high pressure situations. It also helps that there is some some decent prize money on the line too. When does it start? Matches will begin at will begin at 2pm EST / 7pm GMT / 11am PT on Sunday January 27. The ProDown tournaments are typically played over two days, due to the lengthy best-of-5 winners bracket rounds, the best-of-5 losers bracket matches and just the general set up and starting of games. What is the bracket? In total there are 16 teams and round one matches are as follows: ENVY vs TeddyReck’s Team – Splyce vs Team Space – Midnight Gaming vs ExcelerateGG – Parasite’s team vs OpTic Gaming – Nameless’ Team vs Luminosity Gaming – Evil Geniuses vs UYU – Twizz’s Team vs 100 Thieves – eUnited vs SZN – The full updating bracket can be found on CMG’s website. What is the format? It’ll be a typical CMG ProDown format. A double elimination, CWL Variant in a best-of-five winners bracket and a best-of-five losers bracket. Matches will be played on the Control, Hardpoint and Search and Destroy game modes on the maps Arsenal, Frequency, Gridlock, Hacienda, Payload and Seaside. Where can I watch? A number of professional players from different teams will usually stream the event. Bar the exception of one Pro Down event earlier in the year when there were no streams as pros opted against it. Below is a number of streams from different players who will stream the event. Watch live video from scump on www.twitch.tvWatch live video from Crimsix on www.twitch.tvWatch live video from Clayster on www.twitch.tvWatch live video from iLLeYY on www.twitch.tv

CMG ProDown tournament feat. OpTic, FaZe, 100 Thieves and more – Bracket, Stream and Schedule The $2,500 CMG ProDown tournament returns following the conclusion of CWL Las Vegas, as the best professional teams in North America compete in the online event. Although primarily for practice, the ProDown still has good money on the line for players to compete for, so these top players take the matches seriously. A long process, with best of 5 matches in the winners bracket, the tournament will likely be completed on Monday 17, but will begin at 2pm EST / 7pm GMT / 11am PT on Sunday December 16. Teams will have a second chance if they lose a match, dropping down to the losers bracket where best of 5 series are played. The tournament features 13 teams in total, with the other three slots not filled in time. Ten of these teams are professional level, including Vegas winners OpTic Gaming, third place Splyce, and of course other big names such as FaZe Clan, Team Envy and Evil Geniuses. Missing from the lineup is eUnited, who placed 2nd at CWL Vegas, and Red Reserve (although a UK team are now based in the US). Reciprocity are taking part for the first time, now also based in the US. You can view the bracket below. CMG ProDown Live Bracket December 16 – 17 Streams Professional players will also be streaming their team’s matches. We have some of the streams here, so be on the lookout for your favorite player or team when the tournament begins. Scump Watch live video from scump on www.twitch.tvDashy Watch live video from Dashy on www.twitch.tvKenny Watch live video from KuavoKen on www.twitch.tv

OpTic vs Reciprocity CMG ProDown match descends into controversy Dexerto/Team ReciprocityThe winners finals series between OpTic Gaming and Team Reciprocity in the third CMG ProDown event took a turn for the worse on December 16, leading to some controversy between the two teams. After a lengthy tournament, the two sides squared off for the chance to claim a spot in the ProDown Grand Finals, with the loser falling to the losers bracket. OpTic took an early lead with Seaside Hardpoint but complaints about the connection between the two teams quickly started to be heard. However, controversy truly struck during round eight of a game five Search and Destroy on Hacienda. With little time left in the round, OpTic’s Thomas ‘TJHaly’ Haly and Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow suffered a connection lag spike which threw them from the A Bomb Site to the middle of the map. Reciprocity ended up winning the round before players on both teams attempted to come up with a solution to the situation. These suggestions included replaying the map with a different scoreline or replaying the full series. CMG tournament admins were also roped in to come up with a decision. With multiple players on each side annoyed with what had just taken place, the series was cancelled pending a full replay on December 17. The situation led to some spicy tweets between Crimsix and members of Team Reciprocity. The OpTic Gaming star tweeted back and forth with multiple Call of Duty professionals as he tried to defend his team’s decision to want to replay the series. It’s not the first dispute that Crismix and a European team have had over an online tournament. Just prior to CWL Las Vegas, OpTic and Red Reserve faced off in the second ProDown event. After Red made a comeback in Search and Destroy, hints towards potential stream sniping were made by members of Crimsix’s Twitch chat. Read More: Methodz perfectly describes his career after reportedly being dropped by the FaZe CoD team – The European line-up eventually found the funny side of the allegations, tweeting out a photo of themselves watching Crimsix’s stream on multiple devices after the game. The two teams will replay the series on December 17 at around 5-6pm EST (10/11pm GMT).

CMG ProDown $2,500 tournament feat. top professional teams – Bracket, Rules, Stream and Schedule With CWL Vegas fast approaching on December 7, professional teams have organized a weekly tournament to prepare in association with online tournament website CMG. The tournament features eight professional teams, and another eight that qualified through an online qualifier, which included Evil Geniuses. Unlike most online tournaments, the CMG ProDown double elimination, with best of seven matches in the winners bracket, and best of five matches played in the losers bracket. Round one matches begin at 11am PT / 2pm EST / 7pm GMT / on Sunday, November 18, with the second day of matches kicking off at 3 PM ET on Monday, November 19. Although the tournament is primarily for practice for the pro teams, in a more competitive setting that scrims, it also provides some of the amateur qualifying teams a chance to prove they can compete with the best. There is also a $2,500 prize pool, with $2,000 for first and $500 for second, so there is still plenty of incentive beyond the practice benefits alone. Each pro team will play a qualifying team in the first round of the winners bracket, which you can see below. Evil Geniuses match up against FaZe Clan in round one, as there are nine pro teams total. Day two scores: Losers Semis: Splyce 3 – 2 Luminosity Gaming – Losers Finals: 100 Thieves 3-1 Splyce – Grand Finals: OpTic Gaming vs 100 Thieves (Two matches if necessary) – The full and updated live bracket for this tournament can be viewed by clicking the link below: CMG ProDown Live Bracket 11-19 (Winners and Losers Brackets) Professional players will also be streaming their team’s matches. We have some of the streams here, so be on the lookout for your favorite player or team when the tournament begins.

CMG ProDown tournament January 7 ft. OpTic, FaZe, 100T and more – Bracket, Stream and Schedule The third $2,500 CMG ProDown tournament takes place over January 6 and 7, as top North American based teams play the first big online series of 2019. The majority of the field is made up of professional rosters, with some aspiring pro teams making up the numbers, featuring some of best up and coming talent. With CWL 2K tournaments now effectively meaningless for professional teams, the CMG ProDown provides more effective practice, with some big money on the line too. Schedule Matches will begin at will begin at 2pm EST / 7pm GMT / 11am PT on Sunday January 16. The tournament is typically played over two days, due to lengthy best of 7 winners bracket matches, and best of 5 losers bracket. Bracket In total there are 16 teams, round 1 matches as follows: OpTic Gaming vs G2 Esports – FaZe Clan vs Luminosity – Splyce vs Big Pelicans (TeddyRecKs, Ramby, Super, Zaptius, Apox) – Red Reserve vs 100 Thieves – SZN (iLLeY, Simp, Shotzy, Onyx, Paulehx) vs Ready for Hire (SpaceLy, Havok, MajorManiak, Maux, Nagafen) – Team Envy vs Evil Geniuses – eUnited vs Enigma6 – Pittsburgh Knights vs Reciprocity – You can see the full live bracket on CMG’s website. Streams Professional players will also be streaming their team’s matches. We have some of the streams here, so be on the lookout for your favorite player or team when the tournament begins. Watch live video from Clayster on www.twitch.tvWatch live video from JKap on www.twitch.tvWatch live video from Rated on www.twitch.tvWatch live video from iLLeYY on www.twitch.tv

CMG ProDown Black Ops 4 tournament January 12 ft. 100T, FaZe, LG, and more – bracket, schedule, info The fifth running of the CMG ProDown tournament is set to take place over January 12-13 as top North American Call of Duty teams compete for the $2,500 prize. The field feature the biggest and brightest names in CoD esports, such as OpTic Gaming, 100 Thieves, FaZe Clan, and more, as well as some of the most promising up-and-coming prospects that are yet to go pro. Last second announcements have revealed that 3X winners OpTic have both pulled out of the tournament and will not be competing this week, which also seems the case for defending champions eUnited. Both teams have already secured their place in the Pro League and may be watching the NFL playoffs instead. SCHEDULE This week’s ProDown will kick off at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET / 10 PM GMT on Saturday, January 12. The majority of matches will be played that day with the exception of the final few rounds, which will take place on Sunday, January 13 at the same time. BRACKET AND FORMAT The ProDown tournaments feature a double elimination bracket stacked with 16 total teams. The matches in both the Winner’s and Loser’s Brackets will be played best-of-five. The rule-set is the same as the official one used by the CWL, and each round of both brackets has specific maps assigned to each game so that all teams face the same exact map rotation each round. The Winners and Losers brackets can be seen below. FaZe and E6 will square off in the Winners Finals, while EnVy. REC, UYU and the Knights are all still fighting for their lives down in Losers. It was an unforgettable event for 100T, who dropped a 5 set heartbreaker to UYU before being swept aside by EnVy. Luminosity also had a quick night, dropping out to Tainted Minds and Team Spacely in back to back matches. Splyce, playing with NAMELESS, almost went on a dream run to get NAMELESS off the desk and back into a team, but they lost a tight one to FaZe in the Quarters and EG in Losers. PRIZE BREAKDOWN As usual, this week’s ProDown features a $2,500 prize pool that will be divided accordingly between the top two teams. The first place team will receive $2,000 and the second place team will receive $500. STREAMS Sorry, teams are understandably being protective of their strats due to the CWL Pro League Play-in taking place during the week. No streams are expected to be available, but if any pros change their minds, we will put them here.

Clutch Warzone revive strategy can save your teammates in a pinch Infinity WardA fascinating Warzone trick has been discovered that could come in clutch the next time that your teammates go down in the middle of a fight. Being knocked down in Modern Warfare’s new battle royale mode leaves you with just a few options. Either you end the pain and gamble for a second chance in the Gulag, or you wait for a teammate to revive you if you haven’t purchased a self-revive from the shop. While crawling over to a teammate for a hand could end in your entire team being wiped out, this clever tactic could just save your life and help win the game. Early into a March 23 round of Warzone, Reddit user ‘GreekFire04’ and their squad landed towards the Verdansk airport, however, one player appeared to open his parachute a little too late. In need of a revive, they were stranded on a rooftop with no time left for allies to come to their aid. While all hope seemingly lost, the team had one crafty trick still up their sleeves. “Let me try to catch you,” they said while aiming directly up at the player overhead. Not a small drop by any means, players would need to pull their parachute again if they were trying to jump from that particular rooftop to the ground below. Despite the risk, the downed player shimmied their way over the edge and subsequently dropped off. Rather than falling flat onto the ground and instantly being sent to the Gulag, they were stopped midair thanks to the perfect positioning of their teammate. Able to catch the descending player on their head, they broke the fall and revived their teammate in a split second to keep the full squad alive. Clearly blown away by their discovery, the squad carried on with the rest of the match with a spot at the Gulag still reserved for later. While you need an area clear from enemies to execute this trick, having a player drop directly on top of you could be the clutch play you need to win — just make sure you time it right, or your down ally might be wishing he’d never dropped.

Clues suggest classic CoD game mode returning in Modern Warfare ActivisionFollowing the Season 3 update to Modern Warfare on April 8, some of the artwork and images released by Infinity Ward seem to suggest the return of a classic fan-favorite game mode. Season 3 already brought back classic Call of Duty maps such as Backlot, with Modern Warfare 3’s Hardhat also on the way during the season, as well as some new weapons and a Quads mode in Warzone. Now, though, rumors are starting to ramp up about the return of another game mode to multiplayer, and it’s got fans pretty excited. Posting to Reddit, prophunt_K posted one of the images shared by Infinity Ward of Ghost in battle, but found something slightly innocuous in the background. As you can see, on the upper left side of the image, there is a plant pot that seems to be just floating in mid-air. While not many players noticed it, some did, and it immediately raised some questions. Now, prophunt_K and others believe that it’s a sign Prop Hunt is coming to Modern Warfare, and players are pretty excited at the idea of it. The mode was first introduced to the Call of Duty series during Black Ops 3, with players taking on the look of a random object on the map, such as a bin, tree or, of course, a plant pot. The aim is to either hide from the players that are hunting you by looking like a natural object on the map, or to hunt down players disguised as props so they can join you and hunt down other props. Besides Infinite Warfare, it has been in every CoD game since, and is often a highly-populated playlist with players looking for a lighthearted game mode to cool off with – so this might be the perfect mode for a post-Warzone session. Infinity Ward have yet to officially announce the game mode, and there’s currently no telling exactly when it will arrive if it is in fact on its way, so you’ll have to stay tuned for any announcement from Infinity Ward themselves.

Clues have emerged for a possible Modern Warfare Battle Royale mode Activision – Call of DutyThe popular Call of Duty franchise may be heading back to its roots with boots on the ground gameplay in Modern Warfare, but it looks like we might also be seeing a fresh take on the Battle Royale genre. Marking their first title since Call of Duty Infinite Warfare in 2016, developers Infinity Ward look to be hitting the reset button on the global phenomenon with the upcoming Modern Warfare release. Emphasizing grounded combat and a more methodical pace for the multiplayer shooter. With the public beta having launched on September 19, one line of code in the game files alluding to a Battle Royale mode, appears to have slipped through the cracks. In a Tweet on the very same day as the beta-launch, YouTuber TheGamingRevolution has allegedly sifted through the code and discovered a line pertaining to an undisclosed Battle Royale mode. “There we have it, Battle Royale is mentioned in the code of Modern Warfare,” he explained. With the letters ‘br’ frequent throughout the line of code, the text also includes mention of ‘money drops’ and ‘player drops,’ likely alluding to functions within the mode itself. While no official details have been released about the inclusion of a Battle Royale mode in Modern Warfare, with the title releasing on October 25, it’s likely that we’ll get confirmation in the very near future. There we have it, Battle Royale is mentioned in the code of Modern Warfare. This must be the money / plunder system I was talking about. Send this to any of the naysayers. pic.twitter.com/kkxrxSYa3q — TheGamingRevolution (@TheGamingRevoYT) September 20, 2019 This certainly isn’t the first time that players have tried to connect the dots and unveil the potential inclusion of a Battle Royale mode in Modern Warfare. Read More: Pros give verdict on Modern Warfare beta – In the limited-time PlayStation 4 beta, players noted the exclusion of a Raven Software logo throughout the booting up process. The development studio has been linked to Modern Warfare, yet their lack of presence in the Multiplayer beta has the community questioning if they’ve been working on a separate Battle Royale mode all along. TheGamingRevolution was also responsible for recent leaks revolving around DLC weapons and the fact that they could be released at no cost following the launch of Modern Warfare. With the beta now live to the public across all platforms, here’s everything you need to know to get started.

Cloud9 owner Jack responds to 12th CDL spot rumors Activision / Cloud9OpTic Gaming and Envy have yet to find a suitable candidate to take over the Chicago spot after their merger, and with rumors of what teams could take on that mantle, one organization has addressed concerns. After months of rumors, the long-awaited merger of OpTic Gaming and Envy finally became true in November, creating OpTic Texas. This meant that the Dallas Empire was effectively retired from Call of Duty League competition. OpTic and Envy acquired the Chicago CDL spot as a part of this merger, meaning that they would have to find a suitable buyer for the slot. This move also confirmed NRG’s official departure from the league after creating the Chicago Huntsmen as a part of the inaugural season. It’s still unclear as to who will be the new owner of the 12th slot. Cloud9 owner Jack responds to 12th CDL spot rumors It was brought to attention in the official Cloud9 subreddit if Cloud9 Vegas could still happen. This was in response to a tweet that Co-Owner and Chief Gaming Officer of Envy and OpTic Gaming Mike Rufail’s brief update on the sale of the 12th slot. “We are still discussing the transfer with multiple, interested ownership groups the earliest of which we are working toward closing with,” he said. “These things take time, but I’m optimistic we’ll have 12 teams in CDL in 2022.” Quick update on that 12th CDL team: We are still discussing the transfer with multiple, interested ownership groups the earliest of which we are working toward closing with. These things take time, but I’m optimistic we’ll have 12 teams in CDL in 2022. You all deserved an update — Mike Rufail (@hastr0) December 3, 2021 This question was quickly shut down by Cloud9’s owner, Jack Etienne. He ended the rumors, replying to the Reddit post with a simple “No, it’s not going to happen.” Cloud9 has been a part of Call of Duty esports in the past, most notably in the COD World League for both Black Ops 3 and Infinite Warfare but it seems like their return is not meant to be. With one candidate to buy the final spot down, the chances of the CDL gaining their final spot get more difficult. But Rufail’s optimism comes as a silver lining that there will be 12 teams in the CDL in 2022.

Is Cloud9 joining the Call of Duty League? Paris Legion trademark fuels rumors Activision / Cloud9Could Cloud9 be set to enter the Call of Duty League ahead of the 2022 season? Various social media teasers along with an abandoned trademark from Paris Legion has fueled speculation that a new force may be joining the competition. When the Call of Duty League kicked off in 2019, it did so with 12 franchises attached. While rumors of expansion have circulated ever since, no concrete plans have been locked in just yet. Rather than adding new slots to the league, however, there may be a different route for new organizations to enter the mix. With certain teams fading out and others putting their slots up for sale, now could be the perfect time for fresh faces to jump in. One such powerhouse esports brand that appears ready to go is Cloud9. Multiple teasers across social media could be indicative of what’s to come ahead of the 2022 CDL season. Cloud9 teases Call of Duty League involvement on Twitter When the 2021 Championship event came to a close, Cloud9 wasted little time teasing a potential entry into the league. Moments after Atlanta FaZe closed out the finals, Cloud9 shared a picture of former C9 CoD pro Colt ‘Havok’ McLendon, a current starter for the Florida Mutineers. “Expect the unexpected,” the org’s account added in a reply below. Obviously, this could just be some trolling from the org, but things didn’t stop there. “Hello? We need to chat,” the Mutineers Twitter account posted a few days later, tagging Cloud9. Next came a tease from Cloud9 founder and CEO Jack Etienne. Shortly after CoD’s most successful player Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter announced his free agency for the year, Etienne jumped into the conversation with the classic eyes emoji. If this is just expert-level bait, what purpose does it all serve? Why would a non-CoD organization care to troll CoD fans at this point in time if they’re not planning on entering the league? We’ll have to wait and see if these questions are answered in the coming weeks. Paris Legion trademark abandoned? The Call of Duty Intel Twitter account posted that the Paris Legion trademark “has been abandoned,” drawing a response from Cloud9. “Damn,” the official account responded, instantly sparking more speculation. It should be noted, that the Paris Legion trademark in question has not been “abandoned,” but rather the application has. The trademark was in fact never active. It was filed as an intent to use but the organization missed the filing deadline. Paris Legion dropped their entire roster late in August – similar to other teams. Read More: CDL 2022 Rostermania hub – Still, Cloud9’s response was sure to spark speculation. Moreover, with reports the Chicago CDL slot is now up for sale, there could be another opening for Cloud9 to jump in. We’ll have to wait and see how things unfold but a fresh face in the league certainly appears to be in the cards. Cloud9’s return to competitive CoD may be imminent.

Cloakzy reveals his perfect AS VAL loadout for Warzone Season 6 Activision/iBuyPowerDennis ‘Cloakzy’ Lepore has revealed his perfect AS VAL loadout for Warzone Season 6 — and it’s a little different to your standard assault rifle class. [jwplayer L7zZP3SQ] The AS VAL was released in Season 6 of Modern Warfare and Warzone alongside the SP-R208 marksman rifle, which has become somewhat of a favorite to marksmen due to its fast ADS and pinpoint accuracy at long ranges. The VAL, however, seems to have gone under the radar a bit in Verdansk, as players prefer to utilize other ARs such as the Kilo 141 or M13. As Cloakzy says, the VAL doesn’t really seem to be built for Warzone, but that might be about to change if this loadout and strategy catches on. As became obvious shortly after Season 6 launched, the 10-round mag on the VAL is somewhat powerful, in that it can literally shoot through any number of walls with no damage drop-off. Although it’s only a 10-round magazine, which is in stark contrast to the standard 45-60 rounds you’ll traverse Warzone with, Cloakzy thinks this could be a huge benefit to players looking to get an edge on their opponent. Here’s the class he runs with: Barrel: VLK 200mm Osa – Optic: VLK 3.0x Optic – Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip – Ammunition: SPP 10-R Mags – Rear Grip: Stippled Grip Tape – This follows how many typical assault rifle loadouts look, but those 10-Round Mags are a huge difference to what you would typically expect. To make it worthwhile, he also uses the Restock perk and carries snapshot grenades, easily picking out enemies hiding in rooms and spraying them through the wall rather than running in and facing them head on. As Cloakzy says, you need Restock and snapshots to fully take advantage of this, which means sacrificing a Heartbeat Sensor and Ghost, so you’ll inevitably have to make playstyle changes to fit the AS VAL into your gameplay. Finally, as Cloakzy recommends, you should probably carry an MP5 with the AS VAL, too, just to keep you safe in those close-quarters engagements, so give it a go and see how you feel, because this might help open the game up for you completely.

Cloakzy divides Warzone community by joking that MnK doesn’t belong in CoD Instagram: CloakzyStreamer and Complexity co-owner Cloakzy took a shot at the mouse and keyboard community in Warzone by saying Call of Duty was meant for controllers. Aim assist has been a hotly debated topic in the gaming community as more titles begin supporting MnK and controllers. CoD is one of many titles being affected too; games like Halo, Apex Legends, and the rising FPS title The Finals are all plagued with the issue. Warzone players have complained that MnK players make it impossible to compete against the Gulag. At the same time, others think that controllers make the FPS titles easier to play. Streamers have been caught in the middle of the debate, and Cloakzy’s most recent comment is far from the only one. Other streamers and pro players like Luminosity’s HusKerrs have taken shots at MnK, calling it ‘aimbot’. Cloakzy comments on MnK – joke or facts? Cloakzy’s response to HusKerrs regarding aim assist for MnK was met with varied responses. Some pointed out that the comment was clearly a joke or a copy pasta from Twitch chat. “I’m sick and tired of MnK complaining about aim assist,” said Cloakzy. “CoD and Apex were built around controllers, not keyboard users. That’s why aim assist is so strong. Go play CSGO or Valorant and stick to writing emails.” In contrast, others took the comment in another direction by calling the comment a ‘W’ take. “Apex was most certainly built around keyboard,” said one commenter. “The mainstays when the game launched were iiTzTimmy, Nokokopuffs, and ImperialHal. Daltoosh and NiceWigg were outliers and it was mainly due to their vibe as well as being good at the game. But the mouse players could stay quiet the entire stream and let the gameplay do the talking. Name ONE controller player who can radio silently the whole time and garner a following. None. Why? Because it’s no fun to watch.” With MnK on the rise, the debate of aim assist for controller players will remain. For the time being, Activision has made no further comment regarding MnK or aim assist in Warzone or Modern Warfare 3.

Clever Warzone trick makes winning Gulag 1v1s a lot easier Infinity WardTactical use of sprays in Call of Duty: Warzone makes the decisive 1v1s in the Gulag much easier to win. Players can run around the top floor of the Gulags while two people are fighting it out in the arena below. While most of the interactions here are people trolling or just punching each other out, they can actually use their time much more effectively by marking their opponents. Opening up the selection wheel for the game’s many sprays, players can choose to equip the brightest colored tag to use on an opponent’s character model. Giving the player a radiant makeover with the spray can actually make them much easier to fight against after being taken to the lower floor. “Don’t waste your time punching enemies in the Gulags!” Reddit user ‘PublicWest’ advised. “Give them a tag and make them easier to see.” PublicWest used the yellow ‘One Shot’ spray on the other Gulag resident that gave the right side of their body a color that completely contrasted the rest of the in-game model. Even in the shadowy perimeter balcony, the spray looked like it was illuminating the other person. But loading into the ground floor revealed the opponent to still have the paint job on them, even though the game blacked out before locking the players into the 1v1. What started as a goofy way to pass the time turned into a powerful tool to use in the dimly lit arena of the Gulag. Being stuck in a waiting area with a random player, PublicWest “thought it would be funny [to tag the other person with a spray but, it] turned out super useful.” While both players were eyeing each other down with the M9, the sprayed character could be easily made out as they were strafing through the stage. If someone manages to use the spray on the head of a character’s model, then that would basically be a dead giveaway of where the other person needs to aim. The Gulag has terrible lighting seemingly by design, so the Warzone trick could be a strong tactic to use for an easy advantage.

Clever Modern Warfare spot can easily win you S&D rounds on Rammaza Search and Destroy typically brings out the most creative plays in Call of Duty, and a new tactic on Rammaza is one of the most crafty tactics seen yet in Modern Warfare. Accuracy and timing are what often elevate one team over another in competitive Call of Duty, however strategy throughout Search and Destroy can prove absolutely pivotal from time to time. Entering each round with a plan of where to attack and which sight-lines to hold, could give you the jump on your opponents. Some crafty strategies can leave the competition puzzled, as this daring tactic on Rammaza proves that unconventional thinking could secure a round win with ease. Throughout a recent online tournament boasting one-on-one matchups, the sixth round of an S&D series came down to the wire and some quick-thinking gave the attacking player a huge lead. Planting the bomb inside a war-torn building at A-site, ‘Equuip’ rushed upstairs and quickly peeked each side of the map to try and spot the last remaining enemy. Unable to see exactly where his foe was located, the streamer could just about hear a few audio cues that gave away a rough position. With time ticking away on the bomb, there was only a matter of seconds left for the opponent to defuse. Astutely aware of just that, Equuip readied his weapon and began to shoot at the ground. At first, not a single hit-marker registered. However, on the second attempt, the player was able to gun down the defuser in a short burst without even directly seeing him. Knowing the precise location of the bomb-defusing kit, the streamer lined up his sights and relied on audio cues to determine just where an enemy was sitting. “You know he’s tight after that one chat,” he jokingly said upon securing the kill and putting his team just one round away from victory. Twitch viewers flooded the chat with amusing reactions, as shooting someone through the floor is certainly not a tactic that you see every day. An impossible strategy on the majority of maps in Modern Warfare, perhaps you can expect to see this literally groundbreaking tactic on Rammaza more frequently now. This play can be utilized every time Rammaza appears in the map pool moving forward. All that’s needed is for the attacking team to plant at the A-site and defend overhead. Rather than risking lives and camping in the room of the bomb itself, it appears much safer to defend from the high ground. If you’re the last remaining enemy and attempting to defuse however, be sure to check even the highest level of elevation before starting the process. You never know who might be about to rain down fire from above and cost you the round.

Clayster’s own organization eUnited is trolling him for falling off the map again Call of Duty pro and eUnited player James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks is well known for falling off the map in Call of Duty, and unfortunately for the American, it happened again during a recent Search and Destroy game. Clayster and his eUnited squad were playing wager matches against fellow Call of Duty pros on Frequency, when they managed to plant the bomb at the B site, found on the north side of the map. Hoping to find an angle where he could keep an eye on the bomb to ensure no enemies were defusing, Clayster perched himself on a grating close to eUnited’s spawn, and shuffled precariously close to the edge of the map. Just as Eubanks began to get eyes on the bombsite, he disastrously took one step too far, and could only watch in horror as his character tiptoed off the grating and descended into the abyss below. While Clayster sat silently, the giggles from his eUnited teammates could be heard on his stream, and even eUnited’s Twitter account joined the fun, posting the video on their social media with the caption: “Can we get some facepalms in the chat for Clayster?” Can we get some :person_facepalming:♂️s in the chat for @Clayster? pic.twitter.com/oaXlrKjyqY — eUnited (@eUnitedgg) October 19, 2018 Eubanks replied to the tweet, stating: “After ALL the cool shit I did today, you guys post this!?”, wishing that his org had highlighted an amazing play rather than another classic Clayster mistake. Clayster gained a reputation for falling off the map during games like Black Ops 3 and Infinite Warfare and, while his numerous championship victories secure his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time, nobody will ever forget how often he falls off the map!

Clayster’s “last cry” about having to move to Dallas for one CDL season Ben Pursell for Activision Blizzard EntertainmentMultiple-time Call of Duty world champion James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has made one “last cry” of the CDL offseason, lamenting at the fact that he had to move to a different city for what turned out to be a single season. [jwplayer qYU9URvL] Winning three Home Series tournaments and the first-ever CDL World Championship should have made 2020 a season to remember for Clayster, but all that was stained by a sudden release from the Dallas Empire roster immediately following the campaign. Despite winning back-to-back world championships, Clayster found himself a free agent once more, as the league’s decision to revert back to a 4v4 format left him as the odd man out of the Empire’s star-studded lineup. A lot has been said about the situation by all parties involved, including the veteran himself, but now he’s chipped in again with what he’s calling a final “cry” about it. Last cry of the offseason: I still think it’s hilarious I was forced to move my entire life to a different city on a dime just to get traded and sold after winning Champs 🤣 — Clayster (@Clayster) November 1, 2020 Moving is never easy, especially when it’s to a whole different area, but having to do it and then finding out a year later that you have no more ties to that city is what’s been frustrating Clay, at least enough to post about it. And now, he’s more than likely going to have to do it again, this time to the Big Apple, where his new team, the New York Subliners, are based in. It’s not hard to see where Clay’s coming from – what’s stopping the same situation from striking again this time next year? In a follow-up tweet, he also wrote: “I need to sit down and make a YouTube video about why K/D is irrelevant to a team that’s winning and hopefully help some people understand what it means to play for a W and not for a K/D.” While alone that comment would have been a lot more innocent, the fact that it came as a reply to his original tweet seems to suggest that he still feels strongly about being chosen to be dropped from the Empire and that it could have had something to do with his individual stats. Regardless, the world of Call of Duty moves on, and in a few month’s time, the former Dallas Empire star will have to apply his trade under the yellow-and-blue banner of the Subliners. While perhaps not as stacked as Dallas, New York still boasts a strong lineup that includes established star ZooMaa, Rookie of the Year candidate Mack, and up-and-comer HyDra. Perhaps the only thing they were missing was that veteran presence with championship experience who can keep the team on the right path and perfectly serve as the “glue guy” – sound like someone we know?

Clayster’s endless rebuilding cycle: Can the CoD veteran do it again? Call of Duty League[jwplayer RDIo8tSY] After winning his third world championship ring with Dallas Empire, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks finds himself without a team once again as the Call of Duty League moves to 4v4 gameplay. It’s almost like clockwork at this point with Clayster: his accolades speak for themselves, as one of the most successful players in Call of Duty history, but it seems he is unceremoniously removed from just about every team he plays on, for any number of reasons. This has never been more prominent now, though, as he’s forced to rebuild a team for the second time in two years, despite winning Champs in each of those seasons. So, how does he do it? What are Clayster’s options to build yet another world-beating squad for the 2021 Call of Duty League season? Join a successful team It’s fair to say that, given how the last couple of years have gone for him, Clayster’s stock is going to be pretty high in the off-season. He’s a proven talent that can more than hold his own in-game, so he shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a team to pick him up, regardless of the success they had in the inaugural CDL season. So, he could join one of the sides that saw moderate success in 2020. Atlanta FaZe have a great group, but do they need a veteran player to come in and help them refine their gameplay? The most likely scenario right now seems to be that Atlanta will be looking to pick up an AR player, and he could fit perfectly. Alternatively, Clay could reunite with his old FaZe Clan teammates on New York Subliners as has been rumored, though that would mean making a decision on whether he is better for the team than current main AR Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi. Nurture the next generation of talent again In the last two seasons, Clayster has taken four rookies to two consecutive world championship wins. That’s no easy feat, but it proves that Clay has an incredible eye not only for finding the best young talent, but teaching them the keys to success, too. Obviously, that makes Atlanta a possible choice once again, especially given his success in Black Ops 4 with Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr and Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris, but that’s not the only option. Florida Mutineers is a squad made up of young players (albeit, not rookies), though Cesar ‘Skyz’ Bueno had a standout year as their main AR player so they likely won’t be looking to replace him. Alternatively, young-ish players on Minnesota, such as Alex ‘Alexx’ Carpenter and Obaid ‘Asim’ Asim might look to someone like Clay as the bridge between their current level and becoming championship contenders. Squad up with fellow veterans Another option Clay might choose to try out is squadding up with fellow veterans who know what it takes to win. His partnership with Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter worked out this season, and although there aren’t many players that have been around as long as he has, there are proven winners still in the league just looking to prove they’re still worthy of being at the top. The Huntsmen might look to someone like Clayster if they think he or Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper could comfortably become a flex player, but he might also want to try his luck with some of the recently-released Seattle Surge players looking for redemption, especially with SMG players like Bryan ‘Apathy’ Zhelyazkov still able to put up decent numbers. That said, there aren’t many players that could be considered ‘veterans’ in the CDL right now, especially since many of the top current SMG players — those an AR like Clay will be wanting to team with — are young, ‘cracked’ talents. Save a struggling franchise Calling any franchise “struggling” at this point may be a bit unfair, as we’re only one year into what is expected to be a very long-term investment. That said, a number of teams faced a multitude of hardships this season, without doubt, and could probably benefit from having a three-time world champion join their ranks. Once again, we look to Seattle who underperformed in almost every way this season, though Clayster and Octane on the same team would be a monumental role clash. Alternatively, there are two or three other teams that Clayster could help boost. One of those is LA Guerrillas, who will be looking to add some star power to their roster after earning only five series wins in 2020, and have a selection of players that could be a little more flexible in the role department. Similarly, Paris Legion will want to see improvements, and having Clayster leading the multi-national squad could be a solid solution, and similar could be said for Toronto Ultra, although they were far more successful than Paris this season. Another one that is a possibility, especially with twins Skrapz and Wuskin mentioning that their future with the team is in doubt, is London Royal Ravens. With Wuskin saying his chances of staying on the team are “looking slim,” the team will be on the market for a new main AR, and Clayster could definitely help the middling team reach the next level given his experience and expertise. So, Clayster likely has plenty of options ahead of him. His stock will be high, and you would imagine he has generated a decent amount of interest throughout the CDL, but we’ll have to wait and see while teams try to navigate the move from 5v5 to 4v4. Of course, it was only a couple of years ago that Clayster was talking about retirement. It’s not outside the realms of possibility but, given how the last two seasons have gone, we would assume he still has enough left in the tank to continue building his legacy.

Clayster’s best AK-47 loadout on Black Ops Cold War is a must-try CDL/TreyarchJames ‘Clayster’ Eubanks is one of the most recognized professional Call of Duty players in the franchise’s competitive scene, and reigning world champion. If you want to replicate top pros setups in Black Ops Cold War, here’s what attachments Clayster uses on his AK-47 to give it an extra level of accuracy. The AK-47 is already a contender for one of the best assault rifles in BOCW. As with any AR, it’s perfect for taking out enemies at medium to long-range. On top of this, the AK packs a serious amount of power, topping the list for AR’s in terms of base damage per second. It’s no wonder so many professional Call of Duty players have picked up the weapon in Cold War. One of which is Clayster, who revealed his personal AK loadout and attachments for the weapon on stream. Clayster’s AK-47 loadout for Black Ops Cold War Whilst streaming Cold War, Clayster came up clutch in a 1v1 at the end of a round using the AK on Moscow. Of course, after seeing the potential of the weapon, Clayster’s chat began to ask what AK loadout he uses for Cold War. He took the time on stream to tell us exactly what attachments he uses for the weapon so we can all give it a try. Optic: Microflex LED – Muzzle: Muzzle Brake 7.62 – Barrel: 18.2 Takedown – Body: Steady Aim Laser – Underbarrel: Spetsnaz Grip – Magazine: 40 RND – Handle: Spetsnaz Field Grip – Stock: KGB Skeletal Stock – Clayster’s AK loadout is attempting to alleviate the gun’s recoil, making it consistent in medium to long-range gunfights. On top of this, the addition of the steady-aim laser improves the gun’s hip-fire by 15%, allowing it to perform at close range if necessary. Finally, the upgraded magazine size is great for the AK as the weapon doesn’t require many bullets to kill an opponent. Therefore, this allows Clayster to take out multiple enemies with a single magazine, instead of having to constantly reload. It’s worth noting that Clayster mentions he uses these attachments for the majority of his AR loadouts. So don’t be afraid to kit out your XM4 or Krig 6 in a similar way. Clayster’s AK loadout definitely won’t turn you into a pro overnight, but it’ll certainly give you a great loadout to dominate your multiplayer matches.

Clayster voices concerns about the Stim Shot in Black Ops 4 James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has voiced his concerns about some weapons and items in Black Ops 4 ahead of the release of the first official CWL ruleset. The Call of Duty veteran and eUnited star took to Twitter to say that the professional players want to know the rules and maps that will be played so that they can begin practicing, but also pointed out two key components that he believes need to be balanced in the first update. “The #1 priority should be making subs viable,” said the 2015 world champion, echoing the opinion of numerous other top players who believe the submachine guns cannot currently compete with assault rifles, even at close ranges. He continued by saying that he believes the Stim Shot should also be adjusted: “Another thing I don’t see anyone talking about is how Stim seems ridiculously broken and defeats the purpose of manual heal. Feel like you get it wayyyy too quick and the regen speed is super fast.” Another thing I don’t see anyone talking about is how stim seems ridiculously broken and defeats the purpose of manual heal. Feel like you get it wayyyy too quick and the regen speed is super fast — eU Clayster (@Clayster) October 16, 2018 Another CoD veteran, Eric ‘TwiZz’ Servello, added more context to Clayster’s complaints about the stim shot, explaining that the speed at which it heals players “takes away the effectiveness of trading kills” when an opponent has been weakened. An obvious suggestion would be to make the Stim Shot heal players at a slower rate and have a longer cooldown time. Another option could be to make it so that the fast-healing item only replenishes a total of 75 health per use. I tweeted this and deleted it because I was told to adapt… it takes away the effectiveness of trading and kills you (should) get when someone is weak — Easy E (@Twizz) October 16, 2018 Trying to make the submachine guns more effective could prove to be a more significant task as balancing an entire class of weapons without negatively impacting other areas of the game can be tricky. Given Treyarch’s track record, it seems likely that the concerns of players like Clayster and TwiZz will be addressed in the next major update, which is believed to be coming some time this week.

Clayster & Tommey win $25K Code Red Modern Warfare tournament – results BoomTV / ActivisionEsports event platform BoomTV hosted another $25,000 Modern Warfare 2v2 Gunfight tournament, once again starring some of the biggest content creators and pro players in the Call of Duty community but this time it was James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks and Thomas ‘Tommey’ Trewren who took home the lions share. The Call of Duty competitive season is well underway, but the wait between CDL matches can feel quite long. Luckily, BoomTV and Code Red partnered up for yet another Gunfight tournament, giving fans some exciting CoD action. Previous events, played in November and December, were intense, showing off some explosive Call of Duty matches. Fortnite pro Aydan ‘Aydan’ Conrad managed to defeat legends of the game to win the November edition, while Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter and Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro fired back in the second event and took home the prize. Who won the $25K Tournament? After rising through the lower bracket and taking out the likes of Dallas Empire’s iLLeYY, former Code Red tournament winner and Fortnite pro, Aydan ‘Aydan’ Conrad was joined by Chicago Huntsman analyst John ‘x2Pac ThuGLorD’ Hartley as they found themselves in the Grand Finals. Their opposition was none other than Empire’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks and Thomas ‘Tommey’ Trewren. Clayster and Tommey claimed victory on the first map, Speedball, but swiftly dropped the second map two rounds to six. The third battle took the squads over to Gulag Showers where Aydan turned up big time, winning the series 6-0 and resetting the bracket entirely Read more: Easy ways to get longshots on Rust in Modern Warfare: lines of sight Despite their best efforts, they weren’t able to take it all the way and win out the second bracket. Map one went the way of the Empire crew and the second map was also decided quickly with a 6-3 victory for the Dallas duo. Clayster and Tommey took home $13,000 for their winning performance. Code Red Gunfight 2v2 tournament results: Who streamed the $25K event? The action kicked off on Feb 18, with the first matches starting at 1 pm PT /4 pm ET/9 pm GMT/10 pm CET. You can catch up on all of the action from the BoomTV main stream, or follow the point of view of your favorite content creators and players, just check out the vods of the tournament below. Watch live video from TeePee on www.twitch.tv Watch live video from dizzy on www.twitch.tvWho was playing in the $25K Modern Warfare Code Red Gunfight tournament? As usual, the event featured a variety of both pro CoD players and some of the biggest content creators in the world. Call of Duty legends like Crimsix and James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks were no doubt two of the favorites. Altough, they were up against fierce competition in Dr Disrespect and Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins alike. You can view the list of players who will competed in the tournament, below. Confirmed Players Dr Disrespect – M0E_tv – Clayster – Tommey – Gangstazsaalute88 – Yungstaz – TeePee – DouglsRaw – Katiebedford – StuDyy – Crimsix – Censor – Holly – Intechs – Ninja – Reverse2k – Barstoolsports – Blakeclssel – JorgeSummertime – StayFinessen – Colebear – Aydan – x2Pac_ThuGLorD – Bloo – Kitty – Cloakzy – Fiber – Pamaj – Swagg – What was the format for the $25K Code Red Gunfight tournament? The tournament was played in a double-elimination format, with each match being played as a best of three. Teams of two competed against other teams to work their way up the bracket, with the winners advancing, while the losers drop to a lower bracket. Once a team lost twice, they were out. For this event, teams had to win by at least two rounds, meaning the Gunfight games can’t end 6-5. Although, if the match was deadlocked and the score reached 9-9, then teams played a final sudden death round. There was $25,000 on the line in this tournament, with the prize breakdown as follows: First Place – $13,000 – Second Place – $8,000 – Third Place – $4,000 –

Clayster thought he was being dropped from eUnited during “tumultuous” rostermania MLGVeteran Call of Duty pro player James ‘Clayster‘ Eubanks has revealed that he expected to be dropped from eUnited during a complicated rostermania period, but says all issues have now been resolved within the team. Fans were left in the dark as cryptic social media posts from Clayster and teammates, particularly Preston ‘Prestinni‘ Sanderson, indicated that there was internal turmoil among the roster. From the outside, some fans unfairly blamed Clayster, after it appeared that Prestinni was facing the chop – but in the end, no changes were made, and Prestinni asked fans to “stop sending [Clayster] unnecessary hate.” With the roster lock now in place, teams are set for CWL Fort Worth, starting on March 15, and eUnited are moving forward with the same roster that managed 2nd place at the first event of the season, CWL Las Vegas. Looking to go one better this time around, Clayster says the team has resolved whatever internal issues were causing the disruption, but also explains that he genuinely believed he was being dropped. “I thought I was going to get dropped. Nobody had said anything to me, and that was kind of like an indicator for me, everybody was acting kind of weird and not responding to me,” Clayster said in a March 11 YouTube video. “[eUnited manager] Burns hit me up at 8am and goes ‘hey, can I come over we gotta talk’, and I thought I was dropped, straight up then and there.” Eubanks went on to accept a portion of blame for the “tumultuous” period, admitting he is often “the common denominator” on any team he’s on: “There’s obviously something fundamentally flawed inside of my character.” Now though, eUnited is moving on, and is fully focused on the Fort Worth tournament, which Clayster believes they are capable of winning, saying “I truly do believe we have what it takes to win Fort Worth, and hopefully we can prove that to you guys.” Clayster clarifies that there is no resentment left over from the issues, and that the team is practicing better than ever before, but where it really matters is on the main stage.

Clayster & Slasher raise concerns over ‘no recoil mod’ in Modern Warfare Infinity Ward / Call of Duty LeagueA number of top pro players and content creators have raised serious concerns after a video went viral showing the use of a ‘no recoil mod’ in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The mod is compatible with a product called a Cronus Max, a device that has actually been used frequently by players competing in a LAN environment, to prevent Bluetooth interference. But, one of the main functions of these devices and devices similar, is to allow players to use mods, similar to “strike packs.” These mods or strike packs are essentially hacks for your controller input, that can directly impact gameplay. This ranges from reduced recoil to increased fire rate. A video, posted by Skadezy on Twitter, shocked players, as it demonstrated the strength of the ‘no recoil mod’ in Modern Warfare. Shooting an MP5, the comparison with the regular recoil of the weapon is staggering. Cronus Anti-Recoil vs actual recoil.. unbelievable that ppl use this shit in competitions pic.twitter.com/crRXOChtho — Skadezy 𝕏 (@Skadezy) June 19, 2020 Professional Call of Duty player, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, was among the first to react. “Stuff like this really does make you think. There’s legit no way to stop this, and how would you tell if someone is “just beaming” or is using a mod? Fellow pro player, Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat, of OpTic Gaming LA, called for Cronus devices to be banned outright from LAN events. I said it could be done for years people should NEVER be allowed to use their own Cronus at a LAN event period. — SlasheR (@SlasheR_AL) June 20, 2020 But, one of the main concerns is coming up against these mods in an online match, where it would be impossible to tell what an opponent is using. FaZe member Pamaj thinks it could be affecting not only regular multiplayer, but also the battle royale, Warzone. Idk if I can sleep knowing this exists in comp/Warzone omfg https://t.co/mVMhxe5Vlg — FaZe Pamaj (@Pamaj) June 20, 2020 But, this is not the first time pro players have raised concerns over the use of the Cronus Max. In 2016, around when the devices were first introduced to LAN tournaments as a workaround for Bluetooth interference, Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow exposed the true purpose of the devices in a YouTube video. “As you can see, it’s basically a cheat. This thing was made to cheat,” Karma stated. “It’s something that mods your controller, and makes it so you can cheat.” The now-retired pro player spoke on the June 19 episode of the CoDCast, saying that in any other game there would be uproar about a device like the Cronus. “Go tell [CS:GO pros] NiKo or Olofmiester to go play with some adapter in their keyboard or mouse […] There would be an uproar, in any other game.” Potentially, with the next-gen consoles around the corner, the use of a Cronus may not be necessary at LAN events. However, for online play, it’s unknown if console-makers or game developers can do anything to counter the mods that can be used.

Clayster shows the power of Black Ops 4 Specialists during insane 1 vs 6 Control clutch The release of Black Ops 4 in October of 2018 saw Specialists return to the Call of Duty franchise, and competitive play, for the first time since the Black Ops 3 season. One Specialist that features in virtually every competitive match is Battery. Battery’s War Machine and Cluster Grenade are both versatile and powerful, making her a strong choice in all game modes. However, even eUnited’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks would have to admit that the effectiveness of his War Machine in one particular clutch against Evil Geniuses on Frequency Control came as a bit of a surprise! The 2015 Call of Duty world champion found himself in a one versus six situation attempting to capture the second point and decided to pull out the powerful grenade launcher after taking the first of his opponents down with his Maddox. The War Machine proved to be the perfect weapon for the job, blowing four of Clayster’s opponents into oblivion and leaving the last remaining player too far away to challenge him as they respawned. Specialist weapons and abilities in competitive Call of Duty can be a point of contention, with some fans and players arguing that they add to the meta and others wishing for a return to bare bones CoD. Players earn their Specialists’ abilities and equipment over time and it’s no secret that some of them are incredibly powerful – so much so that some have already been banned in competitive play. Read More: Only four teams remain in the CMG ProDown Black Ops 4 tournament after exciting day one matches – However, they often provide the most exciting and action-packed moments of a match, and it’s easy to imagine the crowd reaction to Clayster’s play if it occurred at CWL Las Vegas in December. One thing we know for sure is that this won’t be the last insane Specialist clutch we see this season.

Clayster shares his thoughts on how Control could be improved Eunited’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks believes Control would be better if the time it takes to capture a zone was reduced. Following the announcement of the new CWL rule set on October 26, which introduced Control as a competitive game mode for Black Ops 4, Clayster shared his thoughts on how it could be improved. Control sees teams swap between attacking and defending two pre-determined objective areas with a collective of 25 lives per round and having spent the weekend practicing, Clayster believes succeeding in the game mode is very dependent on how a team performs at the beginning of the match. He notes that when a team is attacking the objective and they lose four or five more lives than their opposition, it’s very difficult to make a comeback, meaning defending teams will have the upper hand. Clayster believes speeding up the capture time of the control points would create a more balanced match for the attackers. Control seems quite reliant on winning the break, if you lose it on offense and get down 4-5 lives, it’s almost impossible to re-cap + maintain your lives even if you do get the first one. Think maybe we need to speed up the “”cap”” time of the control points. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) 28 October 2018 Commentator and former professional Call of Duty player Joseph ‘MerK’ DeLuca agreed with Clayster’s idea, and also suggested that capture progress could be altered so that instead of going up in thirds, it would not go back down below the amount it had been captured. For example, if an attacking player captured three quarters of the control point, progress would remain at that level, rather than dropping back down to two thirds as it does currently. instead of the progress going into 1/3s, I would love if the cap would stay at the progress and not go down, i think that with a bit quicker time would help a lot — MerK (@JoeDeLuca) 28 October 2018 With Black Ops 4’s CWL rule set still new, it is possible that we could see some changes based on player feedback as the season progresses. ACHES and Slasher lobbied to have Hacienda added to the Hardpoint map rotation and the CWL listened. However, Treyarch may not have enough time to test and implement Clayster’s balance changes before the first major event of Black Ops 4, which takes place in Las Vegas on December 7.

Clayster Roasts H1Z1 Pro Player Who Suggested the CoD Pro Should Delete His Tweet Professional Call of Duty player James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks didn’t hold back on Thursday, May 31st after eUnited’s win over Rise Nation. At age 26 he’s the oldest pro Call of Duty player in the CoD World League and is one of only three people to have attended everyone $1 million event in the franchises’ history. The former world champion has a storied history in the competitive scene and is well known for making his feelings clear in controversial situations. He showed this fire following eUnited’s dramatic win over Rise Nation in Stage Two of the CWL Pro League, hitting out at Daniel ‘Loony’ Loza for being a sore loser during the post-match interview. He continued this train of thought when he began to respond to Twitter users who had challenged him on his response to former OpTic Gaming star, Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow. Karma had Tweeted out that he could benefit any of the top teams outside of Rise and OpTic, to which Clayster responded that he was ignorant because he discounted eUnited. As you’d expect this garnered a significant response from fans of Karma, but this didn’t appear to bother Clayster in the slightest. Got a lot of fanboys in my mentions for my tweet last night to Damon, providing some quality entertainment for me this morning. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) May 31, 2018 I guess three years of mediocrity has made everyone forget how fuckin nasty I am. All good; just gotta prove it again. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) May 31, 2018 While he ignored most of the people who sent him hate, he did decide to clap back at a professional H1Z1 player. LG’s Yogi had sent a gif suggesting Clay should delete his Tweet to Karma, but the CoD world champion bounced right back with an epic burn. Ouch. I could play your game for legitimately two weeks and take your job. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) June 1, 2018 Clayster and eUnited end the first week of Division B with a record of two wins and one loss, which sets them up nicely for the second week of matches where they’ll face OpTic, UNILAD, compLexity and Tainted Minds.

Clayster reveals why he’s stopped getting “hype” during Call of Duty matches Professional Call of Duty player James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has revealed that he has been asked him to tone down his excitement during matches as it has a negative effect on the team. Clayster has become well-known for his exuberant reactions in the aftermath of victories or incredible moments while playing Call of Duty, a habit which has divided fans of the game. While many find Clayster’s excitement endearing, some believe that it can be portrayed as arrogance or as disrespectful to opposing players. It seems that this may not be an issue any longer though, as Eubanks revealed he has been asked to control himself during matches. Clayster was hosting a CWL Fort Worth Championship Sunday watch party on his Twitch channel when he made the comments, mentioning that teammate Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan believed his outbursts did more harm than good for the team. “In a talk we had, Kap said that the hype didn’t mesh with the team,” Eubanks told his viewers. “He thought that me getting hype and being so energetic wasn’t as beneficial for the team as me remaining calm and collected. “I’ve gotten better about my hype over the years, I only really do it after a win or a big play. This whole event I was suppressing any hype motions I got. During the Envy match, I killed two guys with a Tempest, but I sat down, said my bad guys. “It’s whatever, I can control it. I’ve got to do what my team wants me to do. A lot of people like my hype, but my team wants me to do something else.” While eUnited felt that Clayster’s lack of hype would help the team, it didn’t manifest into a high placing, as the squad finished in 13th-16th position in the tournament. The team did pick up a victory over Team Reciprocity, but fell to heavy defeats against OpTic Gaming and Team Envy, before ultimately being eliminated by 100 Thieves.

Clayster reveals why he “butt heads” with Nadeshot during OpTic stint James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has unveiled why there was a “weird dynamic” between him and the then OpTic Gaming captain, Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag, during a chat with Hector ‘Hecz’ Rodriquez. 6050 Russell Drive. Has there ever been a more iconic house in esports? Where OpTic Gaming began its expansion into content creation while leading the GreenWall into various esports. A staple to OpTic’s history, 6050 Russell Drive provided an abundance of memories for their fans. However, the grass wasn’t always on the other side, as two-time world champ, Clayster, has unveiled during Hecz’s Eavesdrop Podcast. At this stage in his career, Nadeshot was the face of OpTic Gaming and a leader of the GreenWall, both in and out of the server, while Clayster seemed like the perfect fit to help correct the string of poor results OpTic had been facing. On paper, two natural-born leaders in a four-man squad was a recipe for disaster… and this prevailed to be the case. When prompted about his time under OpTic, Clayster opened by suggesting that both he and Nadeshot had a “weird dynamic.” The Dallas Empire pro stated: “He thought I was kind of stepping on his toes a little bit, almost at all times,” after which Hecz interjected by affirming Clay’s leader status. “I’m sure I’m at fault here too… You know, I wasn’t exactly the most compromising guy back then, Eubanks explained. “We would just butt heads a lot.” Video segment starts at 25:00 for mobile users. Despite being at odds with Nadeshot, Clayster looked back on his time under the OpTic banner with fondness. “You don’t really have that camaraderie much any more,” Clay said. “The four dudes, trying to make it, living in a house, just playing Call of Duty all of the time… It’s special to me.” It remains special to this day to many fans, too. Many look back on the days at 6050 as their way in to esports; a group of people that they could relate to, enjoy and watch on a daily basis. While Hecz and Clayster harked back on old times, they also discussed more pressing matters, such as why Modern Warfare might not be the best title to embark on a franchised league with. Nonetheless, with the Call of Duty League kicking off on January 24, every pro will be grinding to ensure they kick start their season with a bang.

Clayster reveals why he wasn’t dropped ahead of CWL Fort Worth eUnited / Clayster | TwitterAfter fears for eUnited dropping him, James ‘Black Ops 4 squad stayed together leading up to CWL Fort Worth. Clayster helms a team comprised of incredibly talented CoD players, but recent rumors and tweets revolving around the troubled team has raised questions about their composure going into Texas. In a Hot Mic interview with Clint ‘Maven’ Evans, Clayster revealed a bit more about his situation during the darkest moments of the team’s recent turmoil. “I knew something was kind of going on the last day of the league,” Clayster said. “Everybody was kind of acting shady… The next morning, 8 a.m. [eUnited’s co-General Manager] Burns messaged me and said ‘Hey can I come over? We got to talk.’ So I 100% thought I was dropped.” The situation had got to the point where Clayster was thinking about contacting other teams to hop on to, so he was relieved when Burns told him he was not being dropped. Leading up to Fort Worth, the team talked with each other to straighten out the problems that they had been experiencing. “It was just emotions flying high, people making decisions rashly, and lack of communication,” Clayster said. “…But in the end, we worked it out like adults and we talked to each other. And I think just having that open line of communication and the willingness to accept criticism I think is going to go a long way for us in this event.” Though eUnited’s CoD team boasts one of the tournament’s deepest rosters, Clayster thinks that people have been “sleeping” on the North American side. He says that after the recent struggles, the team is in a better spot. “I think that with all the ‘drama’ stuff that happened with us, it made everybody on the team realize, ‘okay this is our job, this is our livelihood…’” Clayster said. “And so it elevated us to a level [to think] I need to be the best person, the best human being, the best teammate, the best friend, overall.” Clayster insists that whatever internal struggle the team was facing is well behind them, and he’s confident their recent success in scrims leading up to Fort Worth will translate on the stage.

Clayster reveals that Empire’s Huke considered quitting CoD for Valorant Call of Duty League / Riot GamesExplaining how the Dallas Empire made their roster change for CDL 2021, Clayster revealed that Huke nearly quit Call of Duty to pursue Valorant so that the rest of the team could stay together. The Call of Duty League shifted from 5v5 to 4v4 in the change to Black Ops Cold War in 2021. That forced a difficult decision on every single team in the CDL, but particularly so for the Empire, whose starting five were cohesive enough to dominate CDL Champs 2020. Put between a rock and a hard place, the vast majority of fans and peers expected the Dallas decision to settle on two choices: James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks or Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter. With Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland, Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas and Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal forming a deadly core young trio known as “Xeo,” most believed that the Empire would need to choose one of the veterans to move on from. In response to random fans on Reddit making baseless assumptions, Clayster explained that the process wasn’t so simple. In fact, Xeo was at risk of disbanding as Huke apparently wanted to quit CoD and pursue Valorant so that his teammates could remain together. As Clayster reveals, team owner Mike ‘Hastr0’ Rufail hoped to put the decision in his players’ hands. As was already known, the organization tried to move quickly so that whoever was dropped would be able to have as much time as possible to secure a new team of their choice. Once Rufail gave the players a chance to decide their roster for the next season, Clay shares a surprising anecdote about Huke, who is already an early MVP candidate in 2021: “Huke tried to quit and play Valorant or some s**t to let us four stay together.” As should be no surprise, despite his best intentions, no one would let the standout SMG do so. “Obviously, nobody would let him do that (nor would I ever let him quit CoD to let me have a spot).” As selfless as can be, Huke’s offer is evidence of the cohesion the 2020 Empire enjoyed. While fans are disappointed that the team had to split up, that decision was due to external factors and, for the time being, appears to have worked out favorably for all sides. At the moment, both the Empire and Clayster’s New York Subliners are sitting at a comfortable 2-1 in the 2021 standings. On Friday, they’ll meet in-game for the first time since CDL Champs (and New York fans may end up hoping Huke wasn’t prevented from swapping to Valorant).

Clayster reveals how Infinity Ward ignored early Modern Warfare feedback Call of Duty League / Infinity WardDallas Empire’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has addressed how Call of Duty pros gave early feedback on Modern Warfare, yet all of it was ignored by the developers at Infinity Ward. It’s no secret that 2019’s Modern Warfare isn’t topping anyone’s list as the best Call of Duty title ever. Countless pro players, analysts, and coaches alike have all been vocal in their frustrations with the competitive scene of late. 10 months into the game’s release and very little has been done to address not only public feedback, but criticism coming from the best players in the world. In a June 17 episode of The Bakery Podcast, Clayster outlined how pros have been ignored the entire time, even in the months leading up to Modern Warfare’s launch. “What are your honest thoughts around the game?” podcast host Joshua Baker asked. “In all honesty, it’s a good game,” Clayster replied. “Warzone’s awesome, Gunfight was awesome, even Ground War was pretty fun. “But just competitively, it’s tough. It’s really tough to play consistently.” Certain aspects of Modern Warfare’s game design have seen praise since its release. It’s not all doom and gloom for a casual audience, though unpredictable respawns, and counter-intuitive maps have made the competitive experience more challenging than usual. While pro players have been vocal since launch, it turns out that many were even providing feedback before the game was released. “We’ve gone through the proper channels, submitted documents of feedback [that are] well written, no emotion, and they don’t do anything with it,” the veteran competitor explained. Months before the game came out, pros were “trying to get [Domination] flags changes.” They also put together locations for new bomb sites in Search and Destroy, for instance, though none of their feedback was ever taken on board, according to Clayster. “We’ve had zero help on all of that from the developer. I think that’s where a lot of the frustration from the pro players comes from. If they were to fix them, it would be a sick game.” Perhaps certain changes might still be implemented in the remaining months of Infinity Ward’s cycle. Though the window is rapidly closing.Only a few months remain until Treyarch’s 2020 release will be upon us. Only time will tell if they’ll listen to all the hefty feedback from the world’s best Call of Duty players ahead of the franchise’s next release or not.

Clayster reveals his number 1 trash talker in Call of Duty Call of Duty LeagueTrash talk has been an integral part of the Call of Duty esports scene for as long as competitions have been going, and veteran player James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has been there to witness just about all of it. But who’s the best trash talker in CoD history? [jwplayer ax5RSODz] There have been some iconic moments of trash talk in Call of Duty tournaments of years past, especially in the golden days of Black Ops 2 and Ghosts, in which there seemed to be no holds barred by players. While the banter might have cooled down a little in recent years, especially with the increased professionalism in the franchised Call of Duty League, there still seems to be room for it, just not as much as there once was. So, while taking a trip down memory lane, Clayster revealed who he believes are the best trash talkers in the history of the esport. In a video posted to the New York Subliners YouTube channel, the team in which Clayster recently joined following his World Championship win with Dallas Empire, the veteran pro reeled off his top 5 trash talkers. Giving credit to the likes of the late Phillip ‘PHiZZURP’ Klemenov, European veteran Dylan ‘MadCat’ Daly and Black Ops 2 world champ Adam ‘KiLLa’ Sloss, Clay finally revealed who he believes to be the number one trash talker in CoD esports history: Patrick ‘Aches’ Price. “This guy… he was just relentless,” Clay said. “He had basically a speakerphone in his coach to talk trash for him. But, I got to give it to him, the guy knows what to say. He’s the master finesser, the master manipulator and this guy knows how to trash talk with the best of them.” Here’s the order of Clayster’s top trash talkers in Call of Duty: Aches – Study & NAMELESS – KiLLa – MadCat – PHiZZURP – All of the above have had some truly memorable smack-talking moments throughout their careers and feature in our top 10 funny trash-talking moments in Call of Duty History, entertaining the fans and getting into opponents’ heads at the same time. Whether or not you agree with Clayster’s list, you can’t deny that every one of the pros mentioned has really had their moments.

Clayster reveals cheeky reason why Crimsix changed name to C6 Twitter, @Crimsix / Infinity Ward / Call of Duty LeagueIan ‘Crimsix’ Porter changed his gamer tag for the inaugural Call of Duty League season and, now, his former Dallas Empire teammate, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has revealed the stealthy reasoning behind the change. [jwplayer br5AuoVJ] When Crimsix isn’t exploring the night with a pair of $22,000 night vision goggles, he is racking the deepest wrinkles of his brain for ways to outmaneuver and outdo the competition. Back in 2019, the Call of Duty legend apparently came up with one such way to stealthily finesse his opponents: by changing his name. Crimsix has been competing in professional Call of Duty since 2008, under the tags of Crimsix and ECLIPSE. But ahead of the first CDL season with his new Empire roster, Porter made a surprising decision and changed his tag from ‘Crimsix’ to a succinct ‘C6.’ Some thought it was because the multi-time CoD champion wanted to distance himself from an OpTic Gaming team whose ending was as dramatic as its dynasty was dominant. Others may have thought his 27-year-old thumbs simply wanted to lessen the amount of typing required for his name. But the truth has been revealed: Crimsix wanted to gain a competitive edge by making his name harder for enemies to see. While Clayster and the Empire were obviously reluctant to give up any strategies during their championship run, the season is over and the team is somewhat disbanded, so circumstances have changed. Now, the truth, like a turtle’s head from its shell, has come out. As Clayster explained on Reddit, Crimsix’s decision was no sentimental fluke, but a stealthy tactic: “Porter specifically made his name ‘C6’ so it was smaller his red name tag was harder to see through smoke, bushes, etc.” BlockHead 5Head Landa747onthis4Head https://t.co/KcXW1wJdiJ — FaZe Crimsix (@Crimsix) November 6, 2020 As for Crim’s response, he has remained somewhat vague, but referenced the size of his head — which apparently houses a sizable cranium. Look, it’s 2020 and the central tenet of the internet, especially this year, is that you can’t believe everything you read. Maybe this was simply an aesthetic decision by Crimsix, but one has to remember that this is a guy who celebrated being the first console esports player to earn $1 million by buying night vision goggles. The man lives and breathes stealth, and we all know that he is equally nourished by CoD success. As such, it would be no surprise if some added in-game sneakiness would prompt him to shorten his iconic gamer tag.

Clayster reveals CDL scrim schedule: “time torchers” to be blacklisted James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has released a look into the practice schedule that the teams have put together ahead of the Call of Duty League, and it’s fair to say that Modern Warfare scrims will be handled in a more professional way than ever before. The latest installment in the CoD franchise has already had its fair share of ups and downs. But while Infinity Ward are working hard behind the scenes to fix various issues, pro players are still grinding away to try to become the best in the game. With the Call of Duty League set to kick-off in a matter of weeks, teams are beginning to dial everything in and prepare for the season ahead. Indeed, Dallas Empire’s Clayster has shared a sneak peek at the fully regimented practice schedule that, according to sources close to the situation, was agreed upon by coaches and analysts. The same sources say that the document was initially created by the Minnesota RØKKR analyst with help from the Atlanta FaZe analysts. For Clayster and company, the scrim schedule will give them a chance to continue proving they’re the team to beat. There is no denying the level of talent on the Envy-owned team. Since they have been so consistently dominant in team scrims thus far, there has to be more to it than just rolling up to practice and hitting the big numbers. At the elite level of play, it is often the smallest tidbits and improvements that can go a long way and separate elite teams. The Dallas Empire players have been the best at making these marginal gains so far since the game’s release. Given Dallas Empire’s veteran input from Clay and Crimsix, it should come as no surprise that the squad is willing and happy to go the full nine yards with the new practice rota. we even have a time torcher tab LMAOOOOOOOOO if you’re late over 3 hours worth of time in a week YOURE BLACKLISTED pic.twitter.com/eOzXyMXFtD — Clayster (@Clayster) December 16, 2019 Alongside a fully methodical approach, the analysts are keeping an eye on teams that rock up late to their scheduled scrimming sessions. Teams that continuously “torch” time will risk being blacklisted and missing out on the chance to continue practicing with the other top rosters. However, New York Subliners’ AR, Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi, followed up on Clay’s Tweet by simply stating “Can’t wait to scrim you this week brotha,” as the Subliners appear absent from Empire’s impending scrims. While omitting Paris Legion is rational (for the obvious logistical reasons and latency issues), some teams appear to have a jam-packed practice schedule — which will only increase the level of play displayed throughout the season. Given the supposed ‘blacklisting’ of OpTic Gaming ahead of last year’s CWL Champs, this formatted system will provide all 12 franchised teams a platform to continuously better themselves moving forward.

Clayster responds to roster rumors about potential new CDL team Instagram, @clayster / Call of Duty League[jwplayer br5AuoVJ] After his shocking release from the Dallas Empire, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has been at the heart of Call of Duty League Rostermania; now, he’s shutting down reports that he’s close to being signed by the New York Subliners. As reported by prominent CDL news outlet like TheTacticalRab on September 6, sources were indicating that the New York Subliners are interested in acquiring Clayster and the two are nearing a deal. As TacticalRab explained in his video, Clayster “is looking for his next opportunity and it looks like that will be New York, based on my understanding at the present time.” This coincided with a report from another outlet, CDL_Intel, released at the exact same time, suggesting their sources were also fairly confidently linking the Subliners and three-time World Champion. But it’s called “Rostermania” for a reason – it’s all chaos and nothing is what it seems. Within hours of those rumors gaining serious traction within the competitive Call of Duty community, Clayster spoke out on Twitter to laugh things off and let fans know that the rumors were inaccurate. His response to the reports is easily interpreted, as he simply refuted their validity and described the rumor as “another swing and a miss.” Interestingly, although the rumors suggested sources believe a deal was being neared, Clayster appears to deny even the slightest levels of negotiations or contact, as he wrote that he is “hefty chillin’.” Another swing and a miss for the intel accounts 🤣 I’m hefty chillin y’all — Clayster (@Clayster) September 6, 2020 With Donovan ‘Temp’ Laroda announcing that he’s a free agent following his departure from the Subliners, many assume that the New York-based franchise might be in the running to add new talent to their roster, assuming that they make further adjustments to their current team. Tied for the most world championships in CoD esports history and a former teammate of NYSL’s Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto, Clayster’s fit with the team was obviously intriguing. But it also tied into reports that Dillon ‘Attach’ Price, another notable teammate of the two from their FaZe Clan days, could be left off of the 2021 roster. Those rumors were much less-developed, as Rab and others simply mentioned them with less certainty, proclaiming that, for New York’s fourth roster spot, after Clayster, ZooMaa, and Makenzie ‘Mack’ Kelley, “it doesn’t seem, right now, that Attach is that guy.” Following all of the speculation surrounding Attach’s release from the team, ZooMaa posted a cryptic Tweet in which he simply wrote “let them talk.” This could very easily be about anything, but fans have linked the timing to Attach rumors in hopes that his roster spot is safe. At the moment, it’s still possible that the Subliners are interested in Clayster, but, as evidenced by his response, nothing is set in stone. For now, Rostermania continues and pieces remain ready to fall into place. You can stay up-to-date on all of the offseason team changes, player signings, and roster rumors via our Call of Duty League Rostermania hub.

Clayster responds to Dallas Empire “onliner” criticism after CDL Chicago Following the Dallas Empire’s victory at the Chicago Home Series in the Call of Duty League, veteran star James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks responded to some claiming that the team was only successful online. The Call of Duty League’s inaugural season has been stained by the necessary change to an online format, as teams’ successes or failures now have the “online” asterisk next to them. Dallas Empire just became the first-ever franchise with two tournament victories, but their latest one, coming at CDL Chicago, is being discredited by some fans since it wasn’t played on LAN. “People are saying it doesn’t count because it’s online; you can have that opinion, that’s fine, but it doesn’t diminish what we did and it doesn’t diminish the fact that we won the tournament,” Clayster said in response to the criticisms. The two-time World Champion was also quick to remind fans that Empire also won a LAN tournament earlier this season at CDL Los Angeles. “People seem to think ‘oh wow, Dallas the onliners,’ but we won the last LAN tournament there is, we’re the defending LAN champions, and we’ll be the defending LAN champions until the next event.” With the entire 2020 CDL season set to be played online, it would appear that the Empire will indeed hold that distinction until the next campaign. Until then, Clayster and the rest of his star-studded team will be focused on winning as many online tournaments as they can, including the Championship at the end of the season.

Clayster responds to JKap’s comments and clarifies his position with eUnited MLGCall of Duty world champion James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has responded to comments made by ex-teammate Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan regarding his alleged “fake hype” and “toxic” fanbase. JKap and Clayster have been locked in a back and forth feud since JKap was dropped to eUnited’s substitute role in favour of Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr. It originally began when JKap tweeted a number of insults towards Clayster, and has escalated to the point of Kaplan appearing on Anthony ‘NAMELESS’ Wheeler’s podcast to discuss the situation specifically. In the episode of ‘Ant’s Rants’, uploaded on March 23, JKap didn’t hold back with his criticism of Eubanks, stating that he “manufactures” his hype for the cameras and that he no longer plays to win, but plays for the fans instead. These comments have prompted Clayster to respond publicly. On March 24, Eubanks tweeted to address the situation, indicating that he’s had enough of the drama surrounding him and JKap. Clayster actually said that the situation “doesn’t warrant a response” because it comes from someone who “hates” him, but gave a rebuttal nonetheless. He explains that the issues JKap raised have been discussed with his current teammates, and that they have been resolved. He finishes the tweet with “don’t believe everything you hear, and don’t let anyone fool you.” One thing though, I -still- havent said one negative thing about the guy. Even if I wanted to leave eU (which I don’t,) that’s literally impossible and would probably turn into a Gunless situation. Oh shwell, not my problem anymore, excited for some CoD tomorrow. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) March 24, 2019 In a second tweet, he also states that he does not want to leave eUnited, and doing so is “literally impossible and would probably turn into a Gunless situation”. Here, Clayster is likely referencing when Pierce ‘Gunless‘ Hillman left eUnited for FaZe Clan towards the end of the Infinite Warfare season, and subsequently turned all of his ex-teammates against him. It is clear Clayster is not interested in pursuing the conflict with JKap, and merely wants to focus on upcoming Call of Duty events.

Clayster Receives the Perfect Gift from Sledgehammer to Celebrate the Ardennes Forest Tree Conspiracy Sledgehammer has embraced the Ardennes Forest tree meme in the best way imaginable, by giving James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks his very own commemorative “Treegate” camo! Clayster took to Twitter on August 1 to share images of the camo, saying “lmao I love you @SHGames, thanks for the gift 😀 #treegate”. Sledgehammer Games was quick to respond, telling Clayster that he is welcome and saying “without you, good sir, there would be no #Treegate. It’s the least we could do”. lmao I love you @SHGames, thanks for the gift 😀 #treegate#whoputthesetreeshere? pic.twitter.com/kWzMFO2JTU — eU Clayster (@Clayster) August 1, 2018 You’re welcome. Without you, good sir, there would be no #Treegate. It’s the least we could do. — Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) August 1, 2018 For anyone that is unaware, the cammo is referring to a situation at the start of July where numerous professional Call of Duty: WWII players were convinced that a number of new trees had been added to Ardennes Forest. Read More: Everything We Learned About Blackout Battle Royale in Black Ops 4 From the Reveal Trailer – Key among those players was Clayster. The former World Champion vented his frustration, saying “oh boy we got what we always wanted, more trees to lose aim-assist on and stick nades to!” However, images soon began to surface that showed the trees on the Cave side of the map had been in the game since November of 2017 – something that Sledgehammer Games confirmed in a reply to Clayster’s original post: Yeahhhhh, sorry about that, I think there was more trees added to the background and for the past 4 months that entire side of Ardennes has been smoked out so… yeah sorry — eU Clayster (@Clayster) July 2, 2018 Clayster would go on to apologize, saying “Yeahhhhh, sorry about that, I think there was more trees added to the background and for the past 4 months that entire side of Ardennes has been smoked out so… yeah sorry”. Naturally, the confusion was the beginning of a brand new meme in the competitive Call of Duty community; one that Sledgehammer Games is clearly keen to participate in! After being alerted by @Clayster, we took a deeper dive into “”the tree conspiracy”” to get to the bottom of it… #SHGinvestigates pic.twitter.com/PIw80A4GVV — Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) July 9, 2018

Clayster Questions Why Nobody Said Anything About Scump’s Celebrations vs Rise Nation When Seth “Scump” Abner celebrated loudly in a win over Rise Nation at the CWL Pro League, James “Clayster” Eubanks was surprised to see little backlash directed at the OpTic player. Clayster has a reputation for getting hyped up on stage during matches, never shying away from showing his emotions especially after a big win, but not everyone is a fan of the antics. Clayster’s celebrations during eUnited’s earlier match against OpTic were unfortunately premature, as after making a ‘choke’ gesture towards his opponents following the first maps, eUnited actually went on to lose the series 3-2. Unsurprisingly, Clayster’s interactions on social media quickly became volatile, with OpTic fans all too happy to remind him how his celebration had backfired. More: CWL Pro League Stage 2 Division B Recap for Day One of Week Eight – Scores, Recaps, Standings, and Playoff Picture – Fast forward to the second week of matches and OpTic Gaming were facing off against three time champions this season, Rise Nation. The match secured them their spot in playoffs if they won, and after completing the 3-1 victory, Scump got hyped up like fans have rarely seen this season. Inb4 “Seth actually wins the game” because you’re only allowed to get hype after it doesn’t matter anymore — eU Clayster (@Clayster) July 18, 2018 Actually, we got smoked all five maps vs Optic, they just choked the first two. You can put up a choke sign when someone burns two streaks and doesn’t win the round. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) July 18, 2018 There has been increased scrutiny over player behavior on stage recently, following the scenes at the Gears New Orleans tournament which saw professional Gears players be utterly ruthless in their trash talk. While some fans think that the on stage antics bring extra excitement and storylines to the scene, others view it as unbecoming of professionals. Clayster is perhaps pointing out the disparity between who is ‘allowed’ to get hype, according to fans. Fan favorites like Scump might be encouraged to get loud, whereas a more polarizing figure like Clayster receives backlash.

Clayster Proposes Several Changes to Competitive CoD That Could Result in “Record-Breaking Viewership” During Black Ops 4 EUnited Call of Duty pro player James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has proposed several ideas that he feels would help the competitive CoD scene grow during the upcoming Black Ops 4 season. The long-time competitor went on a spiel via Twitter on August 6, presenting changes to the way competitive CoD is played that would attract a larger fan-base and possibly even yield record-breaking viewership numbers. Clayster’s plan for improving the competitive scene involves changing the format to 5v5 as opposed to 4v4, allowing players to use anything that is in the game, and adding and/or changing the rule-sets to garner the interest of also those who just play the game casually. I say we play 5v5 next year, all maps, everything allowed. At least give it a shot to attract the 70-80% of players who only play pub TDM. Guarantee we’d see record-breaking viewership numbers. Not saying it would be competitive, but we’ve tried to make things as competitive as possible and that’s never really helped resuscitate the game. Anyone who thinks this isn’t worth trying for a few months genuinely doesnt care about the game dying or not. My personal opinion, which it always has been, is to use everything available in CoD. As long as it has a counter, it’s difficult to obtain, or each team can use it, I think it should be in. That’s what makes CoD different from other games, but it ends up watered down everytime. While his ideas and points of argument are subject to personal opinion, it cannot be denied that rule-sets and gentlemen’s agreements often limit the competitive scene to a set meta of weapons, attachments, and perks, with no real variety. Despite the increasing prize pools over the past few years, many feel that the esport has plateaued in terms of popularity and viewership, especially during the Pro League and other major events. It remains to be seen whether Clayster’s proposal will gain any traction within the CWL, and whether he will inspire any fundamental changes will be made to competitive CoD.

Clayster predicts who the next Call of Duty breakout star will be James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has been at the top of competitive Call of Duty for years, and the eUnited star has shared who he thinks will become a major player during the Black Ops 4 season. Clayster appeared on the Wednesday, January 23 edition of Anthony ‘NAMELESS’ Wheeler’s CoDCast, alongside fellow Call of Duty professional players Daniel ‘Loony’ Loza, Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi and Brice ‘Faccento’ Faccento. During the CoDCast, Wheeler and his guests broke down the CWL Pro League Qualifer and the teams who had secured their spot in the league, prompting discussion of who would be this year’s best rookie player. While NAMELESS suggested Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon, who qualified with Midnight Esports at the Pro League Qualifier as a possible answer, Clayster went a different route and mentioned a player who currently isn’t eligible to compete in the league. “I’m calling the rookie of the year right now,” Clayster told Wheeler and his fellow guests. “He hasn’t even played an event yet, but Simp.” NAMELESS seemed to agree with Clayster, stating that Simp was “definitely getting on a team.” Loony was less sure of Eubanks’ pick, saying: “I don’t think he’s going to come out and fry, because I think he’s going to be on an amateur team.” While Clayster clearly has a lot of faith in him, Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr is just 17-years-old, meaning he is ineligible to take part in CWL events until he turns 18 in February. Simp has been an up-and-coming player in competitive Call of Duty for a number of years now, known as one of the best online Search and Destroy players, and will look to take the next step when he turns 18. It’s likely that Simp will make his first competitive appearance at CWL Fort Worth in March, but will need to find a squad to attend with, as he has been unattached since leaving eU Cadets on January 14.

Clayster on Changing eUnited’s Communication at CWL Champs and Facing Red Reserve in the Knockout Stage James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has revealed eUnited’s new approach to communication at the 2018 Call of Duty World Championship. Speaking to Dexerto following eUnited’s crucial win over Splyce to qualify for the playoff stage of the tournament, Clayster stated that the team had discussed how “sometimes when you’re talking really fast and you’re getting really hype and really energetic the communication gets cluttered”. Clayster went on to reveal that the team had come to the conclusion that he would be telling the team to “shut the fuck up as loud as I can and I don’t want anybody to talk for one second and then we’re gonna come back in”. The 2015 world champion believed that this was one of the team’s keys to success against Splyce as they managed to prevent their European opposition from making a comeback on Valkyrie Hardpoint. :tv: “”I’m just going to scream shut the f*** up.”” — @Clayster on keeping the team focused, how #TeamSween are the surprise package of #CWLChamps and the pressure of pools. w/@GFuelEnergy // Use DEXERTO for 33% off: https://t.co/68tl6O9522 pic.twitter.com/W2BNfj3P4c — Dexerto Call of Duty (@DexertoIntel) August 16, 2018 The assault rifle star explained that his shouting and “getting hype” can be a double edged sword and that there is a time and a place for it in every match. Having qualified for the playoff stage of the $1.5 million event, eUnited will face Red Reserve in the first round of the winners bracket in the Nationwide Arena, Columbus. However, Clayster still feels confident going into the tough matchup against the European powerhouse: “We have a really tough round one matchup but the champs I won I got reverse swept in pool play and played OpTic round one so, you know, we lose to Team Sween and play Red Reserve round one, maybe that’s the catalyst we need to hold the trophy” Shea ‘QwiKeR’ Sweeney’s “Team Sween” shocked everyone in Group D, winning all three matches and advancing with the top seed from the pool. The British team will face Ghost Gaming in the first round of the winners bracket – a matchup that most would agree is significantly easier than going up against Red Reserve. eUnited and Team Sween will both be in action on Friday, August 17, with matches due to begin at 17:00 BST (09:00 PDT, 12:00 EDT).

Clayster names the CoD teams unwilling to ban Stock 2 in the gentleman’s agreement A divide in the Call of Duty community is forming over whether or not the Stock 2 attachment on the SAUG SMG should be allowed in competitive play. Some members of the professional community were vocal in banning the attachment, including OpTic Gaming’s Seth ‘Scump’ Abner and Austin ‘Slasher’ Liddicoat of 100 Thieves. On January 27, Scump stated only two or three CWL Pro League teams were in favor of keeping Stock 2. James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks of eUnited, no stranger himself to GA related controversies, was far less subtle than Scump and name dropped the three pro teams who want to keep Stock 2 on the SAUG. According to Clayster, Splyce, Midnight Esports and Evil Geniuses are not in favor of removing Stock 2. Splyce are not surprising, considering they were one of the few teams to use Stock 2 at CWL Vegas before it became the meta. Midnight Esports are also understandably hesitant to change the meta that saw them go 6-0 at the Pro League Qualifier – including a win over Slasher and 100 Thieves. Some Midnight players were even spotted using Stock 1&2 as the only attachments on the SAUG. Evil Geniuses had a successful Qualifier as well, finishing 5-1 thanks to fast SAUG play. A gentleman’s agreement in Call of Duty is when professional players decide a part of the game is too overpowered and the developer may not be able to properly balance. The Stock 2 was underused at CWL Vegas, but players discovered its power at the Pro League Qualifier where most SAUG users had the attachment equipped. Stock 2’s prevalence and effectiveness have brought it into the GA discussion, though the issue is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon if the pros can’t agree.

Clayster Makes Some Bold Claims About the New OpTic and Luminosity Gaming Call of Duty Rosters Veteran Call of Duty pro James ‘clayster’ Eubanks has stated that the new OpTic Gaming Call of Duty roster could be the current number one team but it doesn’t sound like it’s such plain sailing over at the Luminosity camp. Clayster, a former OpTic Gaming player himself, currently plies his trade for eUnited and is one of the longest serving members of the competitive Call of Duty scene. With that in mind, when Clayster makes a claim about another team, player, or other Call of Duty related matter, the community tends to sit up and take notice. That is exactly what happened when a clip of him discussing the new OpTic Gaming and Luminosity Gaming rosters surfaced on the /r/CoDCompetitive Reddit late on May 24th. More: CWL Pro League Stage 2 Recap for Day Three of Week Two – Scores, Match Recaps, and Live Standings – OpTic Gaming made a change to their historic roster following yet another disappointing result at CWL Seattle, replacing Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow and Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper with Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni and Sam ‘Octane’ Larew. FormaL moved on to Luminosity Gaming to fill the spot that Octane vacated and fans have been excited to see an intense rivalry between the two teams for the rest of the year. However, Clayster’s comments make it sound like that rivalry will be rather one sided. “Who looks better in scrims, OG or LG? OG by far, LG’s some booboo now. Nah, OpTic’s the best team in the game right now. Could be online though, could be honeymoon, could be the fact that they’re teeing up for scrims […]” High praise indeed for the new OpTic Gaming roster from the 2015 Call of Duty World Champion. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like Luminosity are having such a smooth transition. The true test for both teams will come when Division B gets underway in Sage 2 of the CWL Pro League on May 29th. Luminosity’s first game will be against Clayster and eUnited, while OpTic Gaming will face off with UNILAD. They won’t play each other until the conclusion of that week’s matches on May 31st. The full clip of Clayster discussing the new rosters, from his point of view, can be found below.

Clayster joins New York Subliners for CDL 2021 season New York Subliners[jwplayer br5AuoVJ]After weeks of speculation, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has officially signed with the Call of Duty League’s New York Subliners following the three-time world champion’s release from the Dallas Empire. With the Call of Duty League swapping to 4 vs. 4 play for CDL 2021, Clayster was released from the Empire on September 1, just days after playing a pivotal role in the team’s championship run at the inaugural CDL Champs. Rumors circulated for weeks as to his next organization, but the announcement of his signing by the Subliners wasn’t officialized until September 18. New York had a decent run themselves to round out the season, winning the New York Home Series championship and cementing a No. 5 seed for the postseason thanks to serious improvements from the roster following their midseason addition of Makenzie ‘Mack’ Kelley. Extremely proud to announce I’m a part of the @andbox_official family on the @Subliners for the CDL 2021 Season alongside @ZooMaa & @MackMelts. Lets get this bread! pic.twitter.com/zDM10XRqYw — Clayster (@Clayster) September 18, 2020 Like many rosters during an absurd CDL rostermania period, the Subliners have revamped their team and released numerous players into the wilderness of the offseason. At the moment, Clayster referenced his two confirmed teammates for CDL 2021: Mack and Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto. Although releasing the inaugural season champion so suddenly was surely a heartbreaking moment, Dallas elected to do so as quickly as possible so that Clayster could land with the team he preferred. Unsurprisingly, that team happened to be the Subliners. One final shoutout to @hastr0 for sending me where I requested to go. Appreciate everything you did for me big dawg, thanks for this year > — Clayster (@Clayster) September 18, 2020 The fit with New York is crystal clear, as the team’s two other confirmed roster slots are occupied by players that fit the mold preferred by the AR veteran. ZooMaa, on the one hand, is a veteran SMG star whose proclivities for aggressively creating space are an AR’s dream. Most importantly, he’s a former teammate of Clay’s and the two are markedly close and familiar with each other, both in- and out-of-game. In Dallas, Clay teamed with another win-focused veteran, Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, and three young uprising stars. ZooMaa fits that winning veteran mindset, but Mack comfortably upholds the latter. After being called up from CDL Challengers, the 18-year-old hit the ground running and quickly became New York’s best player, whether that be on the MP5 or seamlessly transitioning onto the M4-A1. As of yet, no one is sure who the Subliners’ fourth player will be, but their foundation is set. According to reliable insider, CDL Intel, veteran Johnathon ‘John’ Perez and highly touted amateur Paco ‘HyDra’ Rusiewiez are each under consideration. Whoever they bring in, it’s obvious that the acquisition is coming to a roster that has just one thing occupying its collective consciousness for 2021 and beyond: championships.

Clayster Is Already up to His Old Tricks in Black Ops 4 The Call of Duty Black Ops 4 beta is here and James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has already started falling off the map! The eUnited star was playing Control on Payload shortly after the highly anticipated beta’s release and decided to use his Prophet’s specialist weaponry, the Tempest, after respawning. The 2015 Call of Duty world champion then started to push for a capture on A, ran across a narrow bridge, and promptly fell off of the map… The veteran player looked at his webcam in exasperation before laughing about the mistake and telling his teammates “bro, I just popped my Tempest and jumped straight off the map with it!” Clayster then stated “I gotta get it out of the way first guys, alright? I felt like that was the best way to get it out of the way” and getting the response “if you fall of the map this year we are fucked”. For some reason, Clayster developed quite the habit of falling to his death during the advanced movement era of Call of Duty (Advanced Warfare, Black Ops 3, Infinite Warfare) and the Call of Duty community isn’t about to let him forget about that any time soon! Luckily, he was also a world champion in Advanced Warfare so his navigation skills certainly aren’t the be all and end all when it comes to being successful during the Black Ops 4 season. And, like the AR player said, now that he’s got it out of the way, it should all be smooth sailing from this point forward….

eUnited’s Clayster hits out at ‘toxic’ fans at CWL Finals after OpTic and 100T exit Professional Call of Duty player James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has hit out at fans, even of his own team, who were apparently being toxic at the CWL Finals in Miami. The opening days of CWL Finals has been a wild one, with tournament favorites such as OpTic Gaming and 100 Thieves eliminated on day two. However, some fans of the remaining teams in the tournament seemed to get a bit too excited seeing the likes of OpTic and 100 Thieves struggle, prompting Clayster to post about the “toxic fans” at the event, and online. After becoming aware of some eU fans being toxic towards other teams, Clayster quickly responded expressing to his fans to show a little more class towards some of the players who provide entertainment for the fans. The Call of Duty veteran stated that he didn’t want any viewers who were toxic to other teams as eUnited fans and called for fans to have more respect, “Win and lose with class y’all, no need to kick others while they’re down.” Much easier for me to say but any eU fans being toxic to other teams, we don’t want you as fans. Win and lose with class y’all, no need to kick others while they’re down. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) July 20, 2019 The 2015 World Championship MVP followed up by explaining how much professional CoD players invest into competing for fans at the CWL events, “Y’all really don’t understand how much passion and energy all of us pros put into this. It’s our life, our validation and our success. He also called for competitive Call of Duty fans not to generalize or blame other fans, claiming that there will always be a minority of “toxic assholes” who follow the esport. “There’s always going to be toxic assholes, even if they’re in the minority” Clayster explained, adding, “we’re not some faceless professional athletes, we personally handle our social media.” And really, don’t try and generalize or “whatabout” other fans. There’s always going to be toxic assholes, even if they’re in the minority. We’re not some faceless professional athletes, we personally handle our social media, we usually read most everything. Don’t push us away :/ — eU Clayster (@Clayster) July 21, 2019 Clayster finished by admitting some of his own mistakes such as getting caught up in the hype and being toxic himself in the past, expressing, “I’ve been toxic, i’m sure there will be toxic moments in the future. All you can do is acknowledge mistakes and try to build and grow from them.” Not saying anyone is perfect too. I’ve been toxic, I’m sure there will be toxic moments in the future. All you can do is acknowledge mistakes and try to build and grow from them. It’s all about -right now-, don’t let past behavior dictate your life. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) July 21, 2019 Although Clayster has had his share of controversial moments in the past many fans resonated with the words of the veteran ahead of the final day of the CWL Finals. He and eUnited are set to compete in the winner’s bracket finals against FaZe Clan which already guarantees them a Top 3 finish at the CWL Finals regardless of the result. As of July 21, it has been over 1400 days since Clayster last found himself raising a major event trophy at Advanced Warfare Season 3 Playoffs. Although the eUnited star now finds himself with a perfect opportunity to break that streak as he takes on his former organization FaZe Clan in the Winner’s Finals later on July 21.

Clayster hits out at “pathetic” CDL fans roasting players who are struggling CDL/ActivisionNew York Subliners pro James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has hit out at “pathetic” Call of Duty League fans roasting struggling players via Reddit. Despite his continued presence in the upper echelons of competitive Call of Duty, NYSL veteran Clayster has been open about his struggles during a CDL season that has been entirely online to this point. Despite the obvious preference for LAN, the ongoing global health crisis has pushed the CDL’s second season online, and many players have spoken about the negative impacts of this change. Another who has struggled is Sam ‘Octane’ Larew, whose Seattle Surge roster continue to suffer in spite of roster changes. Despite being one of the world’s best players in Black Ops 4, he has not experienced any success in the CDL so far. Another loss for the Surge saw waves of criticism for Octane on Reddit, something Clayster took note of, and condemned. “Shit like this kinda makes me mad,” he said, “even with me bringing up the strain of doing all this online, we still have a Reddit thread of people cooking someone struggling. It’s pathetic, do better.” Online play brings a dimension of uncertainty to CoD, with internet connection and other variables becoming important in every single gunfight. It makes consistency more difficult, and explains why so many players are excited for LAN’s return at the Stage 4 Major. Shit like this kinda makes me mad, even with me bringing up the strain of doing all this online, we still have a reddit thread of people cooking someone struggling it’s pathetic, do better.https://t.co/V5H4Jr8Ic2 — Clayster (@Clayster) June 4, 2021 The thread showcased on Octane tweet, which reads: “I hate online Call of Duty so much. I can’t believe I haven’t completely lost my mind yet.” Comments quickly built up targeting Octane and his team for their difficult season, with many users throwing insults the way of the Seattle AR. And of course people interpret this tweet as me saying we’d never lose on LAN lmao. Literally has zero to do with it I’m just over the covid online crap — Sam “Octane” Larew (@OctaneSam) June 4, 2021 Octane actually responded to the comments, saying: “It actually impresses me the reaches this sub takes. This tweet has absolutely nothing to do with our results whatsoever,” instead mentioning how he also hasn’t seen his friends and family throughout the year. Clayster was not the only to condemn the comments, either. Pros like Accuracy and Prestinni weighed in, suggesting that fans “don’t care” when venting their opinions. While fans are certainly entitled to voice their opinions, some argue criticism can go too far, especially when online CoD can have such an impact on players’ success.

Clayster hits out at more Modern Warfare GA’s ahead of CDL Champs CDL/Infinity WardClayster, CoD veteran and Dallas Empire star, has hit out at yet more Modern Warfare GA discussions, this time referring to the RAM assault rifle ahead of CDL Champs. The Modern Warfare competitive season has, in many ways, been unprecedented for professional Call of Duty. It is, of course, the first time the competitive scene has been franchised, but the ongoing global health crisis has put the overwhelming majority of matches online. Further to this, many pros are of the opinion that Infinity Ward have not done enough to manage competitive Modern Warfare, offering few patches and little in the way of meaningful changes. This has led to extensive gentlemen’s agreements among competitive players – essentially agreeing to not use certain weapons or features that are officially allowed, but the majority of pros agree the game is better off without. It looks like more discussions have been ongoing ahead of the CDL Championships, this time focusing on the RAM assault rifle. It also appears that Clayster, is not a fan of the ongoing discussions. On August 1, he tweeted: “love to hear the challengers up in arms about the bullsh*t GA system once again. No idea how to fix it, but GA committees are getting so dumb. If the RAM was so good why don’t you see three of them on the map? People get zapped once and go “OMG GA OP” and don’t even use it.” Ahhhh love to hear the challengers up in arms about the bullshit GA system once again. No idea how to fix it, but GA committees are getting so dumb. If the RAM was so good why don’t you see three of them on the map? People get zapped once and go “OMG GA OP” and don’t even use it. — Empire Clayster (@Clayster) August 2, 2020 This is the first time the RAM has been the center of GA discussions, with many considering it fairly weak over the course of Modern Warfare. However, the nerfs of other weapons may have increased its viability in a competitive sense. Clayster continued, likening the discussions to those than engulfed the AUG back in June: “Same thing happened with the AUG. Saw one or two a map and people freaked out. Like there hasn’t been 3/4 MP5’s every map for months. Tired of it, let’s just play cod and get good or get off the game.” Same thing happened with the AUG. saw one or two a map and people freaked out. Like there hasn’t been 3/4 MP5’s every map for months. Tired of it, let’s just play cod and get good or get off the game. — Empire Clayster (@Clayster) August 2, 2020 However, there are pros that disagree. SlasheR, who has become known for his advocacy of GAs, responded to say that he believes the discussions are “necessary”. Although the system may be bs nobody can convince me it is not necessary atm. We would’ve been playing with camo every life in advanced warfare if GAs didn’t start trip mines in bops3 etc.. — Austin Liddicoat (@SlasheR_AL) August 2, 2020 It remains to be seen if any more GA’s or competitive changes occur ahead of CDL Champs. The year’s biggest tournament kicks off with playoffs on August 19, before culminating in a Championship Weekend.

Clayster Hits Out at His Critics for Shouting at Opponents After Maps CoD pro James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks is known to get loud on stage when his team is playing well, but that does not always sit well with fans. Clayster received some criticism after trash talking OpTic Gaming throughout their Pro League match on July 12, a match that Clayster and eUnited would end up losing. Some of his comments were loud enough to be picked up by the stream, like when he got hyped after Prestinni’s ninja defuse. In response to his critics, Clay took to Twitter to explain the reasons for his talking. I mean you guys want SC2 or Hearthstone robots after a game? Bring back the energy into CoD, it’s been severely lacking. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) July 13, 2018 He references the Starcraft 2 and Hearthstone professional scenes, which are known to be significantly more friendly after a match compared to Call of Duty. However, some feel that trash talk and player rivalries are what makes Call of Duty an exciting esport, but that behavior may be slowing down. Clayster’s antics are an attempt to keep rivalries alive. A number of fellow pros agree and responded to the series of tweets, expressing support for animated post match behavior. Even members of OpTic, most often on the receiving end of Clay’s yells, do not mind. Most of them are friends outside of the game, so none of the trash talk is taken too seriously. People don’t see us being friends outside the game, so they take it as massive disrespect. Just trying to get the squadron hyped — Seth Abner (@OpTic_Scumper) July 13, 2018 Clayster has a history of getting chirpy with opponents, including Daniel ‘Loony’ Loza and even the entire H1Z1 pro scene. Clayster and eUnited are currently in the fourth and final playoff spot, despite the loss to OpTic. They will be in action when the CWL Stage 2 Pro League resumes on July 17, presumably with Clayster continuing to yell across the the stage.

Clayster hits back at Dallas Empire critics following CDL London Instagram: ClaysterCall of Duty League pro player James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks is not happy with some of the criticisms being leveled against his Dallas Empire squad following the recent CDL London event. The Dallas Empire’s performances at CDL London were much more improved from the season’s first event as they won two of their three matches and finished second after they had gone winless at the Launch Weekend. However, despite the better results, some have continued to criticize the team, bringing up the fact that they’re still 3-4 on the season and have lost thrice to rivals Chicago Huntsmen after claiming they were the dominant team from the preseason scrims. Clayster, one of the two veteran stars on the roster, defended his side in a passionate Twitter rant on February 10, dismissing the criticisms as “hilarious” and misguided. According to last year’s World Champion, the Empire are content with where they are at this point in the season considering that they have two rookies on the team and all four losses have come against the League’s top two teams. Read More: CDL London results and final placements – “Got damn, reading my mentions got me feeling like we sh*t the bed or something,” he wrote. “3-4, with three losses to Chicago and one to FaZe, all while two of our players are making their first pro CoD LANs and learning respawn. Progress takes time, y’all” Based on their success in online scrims, Dallas came into the season considering themselves to be the best team in the CDL, a notion that has constantly been thrown back at their faces by critics following their tough start in Minnesota. Even though they got better results, that has continued to be part of the rhetoric surrounding the team following CDL London, spurring Clayster to take aim at those comments. Read More: Top six moments from CDL London – “This whole ‘online’ take is hilarious,” he tweeted.” If anyone has watched (which you haven’t), we haven’t been ‘amazing’ in scrims since before the slide cancel patch. Everyone’s referencing scrims that happened two months ago as ‘dominating online’ when we’ve been far from it since the patch.” While he didn’t explicitly say so, Clay’s tweets could have partially been in response to some of the comments made by Chicago Huntsmen players Matthew ‘Formal’ Piper and Peirce ‘Gunless’ Hillman. Both players, following their 3-0 stomping of Dallas in the CDL London Grand Final, talked about how different the Empire look online vs on LAN, with Gunless even going as far as to say it was “fun” taking them down because of how “seriously” they take online scrims. 🔥 @Huntsmen star @Gunless had fun dominating @DallasEmpire at #CDL2020 London. “”They talk a lot of sh*t online so it’s fun showing up on Sunday and beating them down.”” pic.twitter.com/jwDMqAILsW — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) February 10, 2020 However, that’s neither here nor there, at least according to Clay’s Twitter spiel, as he made it clear that he’s “super satisfied with the team and how [they’ve] improved from Minnesota,” also making a point to note that he’s proud of his rookie teammates Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro and Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal for how they’ve handled the pressure. Read More: CDL 2020 season updated standings – “Imagine your first CoD tournament and you have a crowd chanting to go back to Halo and you’re got to player Chicago twice, I would have sh*t myself,” he said. “Proud of how Ant and Inder have handled the pressure and I’m excited to see the players they can become.” Dallas will have some extra time to continue working on their game and improving since they won’t be featuring at the next event – CDL Atlanta in late-February. Their next match won’t be until the second weekend of March, at CDL Los Angeles, where they’ll face New York Subliners in the first round of Group B.

Clayster Hints at a Surprising Role Swap in the OpTic Gaming Squad eUnited’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks hinted at a surprising role swap in the OpTic Gaming squad. During the pre-show at CWL Anaheim, Clayster suggested that Samuel ‘Octane’ Larew, one of the two newer additions to OpTic, is no longer playing the main AR role. Octane has been one of Call of Duty’s premier main AR players over recent years, not only one of the greatest in his role but at times even a candidate as the single best player in the world. If Clayster is correct, however, it seems he could now be making a shift in playstyle. Octane isn’t the only main AR candidate in the team, however. Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni also played main AR prior to joining OpTic, and even Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter filled the position on the former squad earlier in the season before returning it to Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper. Potentially difficulties balancing roles was consequently one of the questions raised when the new line-up was announced, and it seems the team is in fact still figuring out how best to organize. Clayster didn’t specify who would be taking up the role in place of Octane, but given Crimix’s famous versatility it seems most likely that the change would be made in order to accommodate Methodz’ preferred playstyle. If a change has indeed been made, OpTic Gaming will have plenty of chances to test the new arrangement over the coming weekend as they fight for the CWL Anaheim trophy. WWII has seen OpTic Gaming’s longest championship drought for several years, and the team is still looking for its first win this season.

Clayster has hilarious response to criticism about his CWL celebrations James ‘Call of Duty matches, and the eUnited star gave fans a hilarious response to criticism regarding his exuberant post-match reactions at the CWL Pro League. eUnited have finished their first week of CWL Pro League action, finishing with an impressive 3-1 record, including some major victories over tough opposition in the process. Following a hard-fought win over Excelerate Gaming on Wednesday, February 20, Eubanks gave a roar of delight and began shouting across the stage at the Excelerate players, prompting some to say that Clayster should be more humble in victory. The Call of Duty star was unimpressed by those criticizing his actions, posting on Twitter that he had never gotten upset at another team for celebrating, and calling out those who were unhappy with his actions. “Laughing at people getting butthurt over me being excited after a tight win,” wrote Eubanks. “I’m not screaming for empty chairs, I’m getting hyped for everyone watching at home.” Lmao @ people getting butthurt over me being excited in a tight win. Not screaming for empty chairs I’m getting hype for everyone at home. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) February 21, 2019 Following eUnited’s incredible victory over 100 Thieves on February 21, Clayster chose to refrain from his usual raucous celebration, instead deciding to remain calm. As the camera panned across eUnited, Clayster was shown standing perfectly still, with both of his thumbs up, but no expression on his face, much to the delight of his supporters who immediately began posting about it on Reddit with glee. When @aBeZy runs in a 2v3 with 14 seconds and kills all three and defuses LMAO @Clayster pic.twitter.com/dJxAxIfyNN — Philip Whitfield (@Momo) February 22, 2019 Eubanks also went to Reddit to comment on his muted celebration, sarcastically commenting: “Sorry guys, I’ll try and be less excited next time. “ Division B of the CWL Pro League continues next week, with Clayster and his eUnited teammates scheduled to face off against Denial Esports on Tuesday, February 26.

Clayster feels that the CoD Burner is harming the game’s competitive scene InstagramProfessional eUnited Call of Duty player, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, expressed some exasperation with the ‘CoD Burner,’ a Reddit account that has been leaking roster changes and moves for the game’s upcoming competitive season. He revealed his thoughts on the matter in a series of Tweets, where he called the Burner a ‘pathetic individual,’ and mocked those who truly believed the Burner’s supposed ‘leaks.’ “Whoever the Burner, or second Burner is, has to be a pathetic individual to legit make stuff up,” he wrote. “Can’t believe y’all actually like someone leaking personal-ass, FALSE information mixed in with slight nuggets of truth. Kinda fuckin’ sad, if you ask me.” Whoever the burner or second burner is has to be a pathetic individual to legit make stuff up. Can’t believe y’all actually like someone leaking personal ass FALSE information mixed in with slight nuggets of truth, kinda fkin sad if you ask me — eU Clayster (@Clayster) September 30, 2018 Clayster went on to state that he was well-informed regarding upcoming roster changes, and admitted that predicting roster movements wasn’t a difficult feat. He likewise insinuated that the leaks are leading to harmful speculation in the game’s competitive community. “…It’s hilarious seeing you guys eat up all this bullshit he’s been spewing,” he continued in another Tweet. “It’s not hard to get roster moves correct, and all the incorrect ones y’all just let go. Actually really annoying, because people get shit twisted.” Like genuinely I’m pretty in the know obviously and it’s hilarious seeing you guys eat up all this bullshit he’s been spewing. It’s not hard to get roster moves correct, and all the incorrect ones y’all just let go. Actually really annoying because people get shit twisted — eU Clayster (@Clayster) September 30, 2018 He then made a statement on the state of CoD’s competitive scene, feeling that audiences pay attention to its esports culture for drama instead of the game, itself. “People pay attention to CoD for the drama and not the gameplay,” he expressed. “It’s honestly depressing.” Clayster also responded to a Twitter account dedicated to the Burner’s updates, writing, “Take your intel and shove it up your ass.” While the Burner has yet to be identified, speculation suggests that multiple individuals could be behind the account, including industry professionals.

Clayster explains why he waved goodbye to EG after beating them at Champs JKap – Twitter / CWL – TwitchVeteran Call of Duty pro James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has defended himself against a gesture he made towards Evil Geniuses at the 2019 CWL Championship. Rivalries, both between teams and individual players, are commonplace in Call of Duty esports, so it’s not a surprise when some decide to show up their opponents after handing them a loss. That was the case for Clayster, who waved goodbye to Evil Geniuses on the other side of the main stage after eUnited defeated them 3-2 in the second round of the Winners Bracket. With the moment being captured live on the CWL stream, and later posted on their official Twitter account, some took offense to the wave, calling it “cringe” and claiming Clay shouldn’t have done that after he had been “carried” to a series win by his teammates. However, the World Champion did not take back the gesture, instead offering an explanation that it was aimed at former teammate Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan. “Huh, seems people are upset, what do ya know,” he tweeted. “One thing I’ll say: you guys are quick to forget that the guy tried to get me dropped off my team that I got him on, then when it didn’t work, proceeded to do a month-long character assasination attempt on me, going as far as saying I’m the f*cking CoDBurner. Have fun being upset.” Only thing I’ll say: You guys are quick to forget that guy tried to get me dropped off my team that I got him on then when it didn’t work proceeded to do a month long character assassination attempt on me going as far as saying I’m the fkin CoDburner. Have fun being upset — eU Clayster (@Clayster) August 17, 2019 Clayster is, of course, referring to a drawn out feud between he and JKap that took place several months ago, during really the only down period for eUnited this season. Following a dysmal last-place finish at CWL Fort Worth on March 17, the team decided to demote JKap to the bench, promoting young star Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr to the starting lineup. Read More: OpTic’s Dashy and TJ destroy E6 at Champs – Following the roster shuffle, JKap proceeded to bash Clayster on social media, posting inflammatory comments about his character and calling him arrogant, self-centered, and a horrible teammate. While Clay tried to defuse the controversy by saying he had no hard feelings, JKap continued to take shots, calling him “toxic” and a “fake hype” man. Following the switch, eUnited’s incredible run of form has been well documented, as the team finished third at CWL London, the top seed in Division B of the CWL Pro League, and placed first at CWL Finals. JKap on the other hand, moved to Evil Geniuses when the roster lock was lifted mid-April, and while his team hasn’t had nearly the success of eU, they still find themselves in the top eight of the $2 million CWL Championship. Follow all of the competitive action live with our dedicated CWL Champs 2019 hub, which features livestreams, updated scores, the Winners and Losers Brackets, final placements so far, and more. Also, make sure to follow us on Twitter @DexertoINTEL for constant live update tweets through each day of the competition.

Clayster explains why there’s a lack of pro streams ahead of CWL Vegas DEXERTOJames ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has hit back at people complaining about a lack of pro player streams and content during the run-up to the Call of Duty World League Championships in Las Vegas. The tournament, which begins on December 7, is an important one for the 26-year old and he didn’t hold back on Twitter as he addressed his concerns with fan expectations on December 3. Clayster said: “4 Days before the biggest tournament for the rest of the year and I see some people on the subreddit complaining about no streams and no content. “Y’all gotta realize we’re basically being split down the middle; create content and win tournaments. It’s rly hard to do both well”. 4 days before the biggest tournament for the rest of the year and I see some people on the subreddit complaining about no streams and no content. Y’all gotta realize we’re basically being split down the middle; create content and win tournaments. It’s rly hard to do both well — eU Clayster (@Clayster) December 4, 2018 This wasn’t the end of his explanation, either. eUnited’s Main AR Player went on to explain the challenge professional CoD players like himself are facing, trying to juggle between competing for major honors and appeasing a fanbase’s desire for content. He said: “Being so hard on the pros for not streaming makes it difficult to want to stream and create content”. Clayster explained that the relationship between fans and pros is in danger of becoming quite toxic, where some pros are feeling “taken advantage of.” Just saying. Two teams are just getting settled. Three teams are at boot camps, we’re not playing in it or we’d be streaming. Parasite streamed. I’m not sure where the idea that we’re being lazy or not wanting to grow the scene comes from, it stinks, we want to see this grow too. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) December 4, 2018 Fans surely won’t want the players and teams they support to feel distracted ahead of CWL Las Vegas, but that seems to be how it is going down at the moment for some. The competition will run through until December 9, with a prize pool of $250,000 up for grabs. Clayster and his eUnited teammates have had a promising start to the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 season but the true challenge will come when the first LAN event finally gets underway.

Clayster explains why PC players like shroud would “dominate” CoD esports Shroud / Modern WarfareProfessional Call of Duty veteran James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has explained why allowing mouse and keyboard players couldn’t work in competitive CoD, when compared with other esports such as Fortnite. The debate surrounding console vs PC is showing no signs of slowing down, and continues to permeate a number of esports. While certain esports, like Fortnite, see controller players come up against mouse and keyboard (MKB), Call of Duty has been exclusively console for its professional scene since it exploded in popularity during Black Ops 2. Clayster, two-time world champion and AR for Dallas Empire, has weighed in on the debate of controller and PC being combined, as they are in Fortnite, explaining why MKB players would possess an insurmountable advantage in Call of Duty. Competitive Call of Duty was played exclusively on Xbox consoles, until Sony splashed out and obtained exclusive rights for PlayStation. This saw all competitive players transition to playing on PS4s, as they will continue to do in the inaugural CDL season. On November 9, Reddit user TanaerSG asked the question: “Why is MKB not allowed to compete in CoD and why are MKB players shunned?”, pointing out that it works well in Fortnite. Read More: Scump mocks Nadeshot’s plan to compete in MW – Clayster himself responded, explaining that it is mainly down to the time to kill (TTK) differences in the various titles. “In Fortnite, you have a chance to build, have 200 HP, do any number of things to disengage and reset,” he said. “In CoD, with the TTK being so fast, M&KB players have a SIGNIFICANT advantage, not only with being able to react faster and more precise but in terms of FPS and FOV as well.” Call of Duty TTKs are famously fast, fitting with the respawn, fast-paced nature of the games. Infinity Ward games in particular – as Modern Warfare is – have been known to have incredibly quick TTKs. Clayster concluded: “You give Shroud and Skadoodle a month in a competitive CoD team with a M&KB and they’ll be pulling stuff off you’ve never seen any console player do, and they’d dominate, bad.” Shroud is an ex-CS:GO professional, often dubbed “the human aimbot” thanks to his incredible accuracy on a wide variety of games. Clayster clearly thinks if he was a professional CoD player on MKB, he would have no trouble dominating the competitive scene. The inaugural CDL season will kick off in January 2020, seeing the newly formed franchises go head to head in an unprecedented level of competition. Despite a few years of struggle from Black Ops 3 to WWII, Black Ops 4 saw Clayster return to the very top of pro Call of Duty, winning a world championship on eUnited. He will be hoping to replicate this level of success on Dallas, alongside new teammates Crimsix, iLLeY, Huke and Shotzzy.

Clayster Explains Why His eUnited Teammates Mean Everything to Him James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks says his eUnited teammates are his brothers, after their fourth place finish at the 2018 CWL Championships. Speaking in eUnited’s documentary series The Ascent, Eubanks was asked what the team meant to him, to which he simply replied “everything”. With Call of Duty entering it’s offseason, many teams look to refresh their squads by making changes to their rosters, and with his experience and championship pedigree, Clayster is always a name at the top of fans wishlists. The 26-year-old doesn’t seem to have any intention of leaving his current organization however, and his love for his current team is clear in the opening moments of the documentary, stating; “This is my life, this is my soul, my passion. We all get along, we all don’t sometimes, but in the end that’s because we’re family, I mean we’re brothers, “Like, we’ve been through so much and we all put our 100% in to it every single day. I mean, not a single one of us has been late to practice. Ever. “We all are putting everything into it and we’re putting our hearts on the line every time we go to these tournaments and they’ve been broken so many times now” The episode, titled Curtain Call, takes viewers behind the scenes of their impressive CWL Champs weekend, from pool play right through to their elimination on Championship Sunday. The documentary also highlights the incredible connection between the eUnited squad and their fans, who showed up in droves at Columbus to support their heroes. eUnited recovered from a tough loss to Team Sween in pool play, storming into bracket play and demolishing Red Reserve 3-0 in Winners Bracket. After dispatching Luminosity in a 3-1 victory, eUnited finally dropped out of Winners Bracket at the hands of eventual runners up Team Kaliber, and were eliminated by FaZe Clan in Losers Bracket semi finals.

Clayster explains why Modern Warfare isn’t fit for CoD franchising Competitive Call of Duty veteran James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has weighed in on the current state of Modern Warfare and outlined how he believes the latest Infinity Ward title isn’t quite fit for the first season of franchising. Marking a new era in competitive Call of Duty, the inaugural season of Activision’s Call of Duty League is set to kick off on January 24 with the first slate of matchups taking place in Minnesota. Dallas Empire’s Clayster recently sat down with Chicago Huntsmen CEO Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez to discuss the current state of Modern Warfare. Throughout the latest episode of The Eavesdrop Podcast, the CoD veteran explained why Modern Warfare is not an ideal title to begin the new league with, and why he has little faith in Infinity Ward to turn things around. Starting out the particular topic, H3CZ addressed his own experience with 2019’s Modern Warfare and outlined how there’s a number of pivotal issues plaguing the game months after release. “As much as I love playing the game, there’s sh** that shouldn’t be in there, there’s sh** that’s not fixed and we’re a week away,” he outlined, stressing the fact that the game is not at all in a state ready for the new league. Offering his own take, Clayster joked that he’s “walking on eggshells” by criticizing the game in a public manner. Yet he continued and emphasized that the root of most issues stems from Infinity Ward themselves. “I don’t think anybody expected franchising to happen this quick. The game was made by the time franchising was announced. They’ve already been working on it two and a half years at that point.” “It’s Infinity Ward. I’m probably gonna get yelled at for saying this, but I haven’t trusted Infinity Ward since Call of Duty 4.” Exposing a clear divide between Infinity Ward and everyone else involved, Clayster indicated that there’s very little chance much changes throughout the course of the year. “The teams are on board, the players are on board, the publisher – Activision – is on board, it’s just a matter of getting the developers and meeting them in the middle.” Referring to issues in previous Infinity Ward releases, Clayster brought up the likes of ‘snaking,’ One Man Army exploits, akimbo shotguns in Modern Warfare 2, and so much more that bogged down the competitive experience over the years. “There’s always been stuff like that in Infinity Ward games and they never really fix it. I just don’t have the faith that anything drastic is going to change.” Addressing how the Call of Duty franchise could avoid these kinds of problems moving forward, Clayster outlined how members of the community should be involved in early testing in order to really fine-tune the experience. “To get to a point that everybody is happy with, it’s gonna take pre-finished development input from not only the pros, but the community. We should already be flying out to Treyarch, helping them develop this thing, helping them get it to a competitive level.” “We don’t even have a ranked playlist in the game right now, we genuinely don’t have anything,” he added. “So what are the ranked players supposed to play? How are they supposed to be incentivized to play, what are their rewards?” “All of these basic things that make ranked play successful in other games where ranked is a default form of play, it’s stuff that’s missing in CoD and has been missing forever.” Despite highlighting an “aggressive post-launch plan,” Infinity Ward is yet to implement any form of competitive playlist throughout Modern Warfare and there’s no indicating when such a mode might see the light of day. Despite his issues, Clayster underscored how “storylines will always drive Call of Duty.” Regardless of game-breaking issues, “the games have kind of been secondary. Even if the game isn’t where it wants to be, I think this year will still be solid just because we’re all still here.” Clayster will be taking to the stage to kick off the Call of Duty League against H3CZ’s very own Chicago Huntsmen on January 24 in Minnesota.

Clayster explains how Warzone could “kill” CoD multiplayer and the CDL ActivisionCall of Duty legend James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks questioned how the CDL is supposed to survive, and thrive, given how much focus has been put on Warzone recently, suggesting it may kill off multiplayer. When Warzone first launched over a year ago, it was a cause for celebration for most Call of Duty fans, given that the battle royale would be bringing fresh faces and new eyes to the game they love so much. Warzone has since skyrocketed in popularity, but it has also become a cause of concern for fans, and players, in the Call of Duty esports scene. Many fans have pinpointed Warzone as one of the reasons that live viewership of the CDL is down, and have questioned if, eventually, Warzone will simply replace normal Call of Duty modes. Well, it’s also something that three-time Call of Duty world champion Clayster picked up on following a recent episode of The Flank podcast, noting the difference in viewership on Twitch for streamers playing Cold War and those playing the battle royale. “It looks like Warzone is taking the f*** over,” Clay said, adding that the battle royale will “kill multiplayer” when former teammate Zoomaa asked if he believed it would kill CoD as a whole. Read More: CDL 2021 Rostermania hub – “I mean, it’s already taken over CoD. It has this past year. I’m saying in terms of the CDL… when Warzone is so popular and so big, how does this function in the CDL landscape?” Clay asked, pointing out just how much time and effort was put into organizing the recent World Series of Warzone event in such a small amount of time. “If Warzone wasn’t a thing, that would be going towards multiplayer,” the New York Subliners captain continued. “I’m not saying none is going to multiplayer, because now it’s a lot different, its a franchise league, but the opportunities are going to become less for multiplayer and more for Warzone, other than the CDL and it’s like how long can the CDL actually survive at this big of a gap?” Topic begins at 2:25:00 The Subliners star isn’t worried about the league’s immediate future, but urged them to make some changes in different areas to keep it going strong. “I’m not saying that the CDL is doomed and that it’s shuttering in two years. I don’t believe that,” he continued. “If they want the CDL to survive as a product there has to be a lot more thought put into it in terms of the marketing side, the ranked side, the rewards side.” As plenty of viewers have noted, while the live numbers of CDL streams are down, the VOD numbers are still chugging along and going well, and the scene as a whole should be lifted when Champs rolls around. Whether or not Warzone will become the sole focus of Call of Duty remains to be seen later down the line, but it’s clear some pros are concerned.

Clayster explains how crowd noise actually helped him against OpTic Call of Duty veteran, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, has revealed that crowd noise when playing on mainstage actually helped when he faced OpTic Gaming and their raucous fans. Crowd noise is an inevitable part of live esports. With large crowds amassing to eagerly support their favorite team, a loud atmosphere is to be expected. However, games like CS:GO have been plagued by the repercussions of obtaining information from environmental cues. CS:GO Observer, Connor ‘Sliggy’ Blomfield, aptly summarized the issues which come with crowd noise at live events in his Reddit post. This caught the eye of long-time CoD pros, Clayster and Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow. Saying that both Clayster and Karma have ‘sufficient’ LAN experience would be an understatement. As such, the pair have a wealth of knowledge that can be tapped into. When prompted as to whether the crowd noise issues transfer to Call of Duty, Karma edged in with his two cents. “It’s not always an issue, but there is always the chance of some scenario happening where it can have an effect,” he three-time world champ stated. Eubanks concurred with Barlow’s point, but went on to expand by giving a specific example of how he benefited from it during a match versus OpTic Gaming. Clay explained that he could judge whether a member of an OpTic Gaming squad had achieved scorestreaks based on the crowd’s reaction to their death. With the largest fan base in CoD, OpTic fans would typically make the most noise at live events. Of course, this isn’t as severe as giving a player’s position away, but it does take away from the integrity of competition. As per Clayster’s Tweet, gathering valuable information from the crowd in CoD is “nowhere near as big of an issue as it is in CS.” To underscore the severity of the issue, here’s an example of Astralis Rifler and Counter-Strike mastermind, Andreas ‘Xyp9x’ Højsleth, using the crowd’s reaction to bait information for his teammate in the recent ESL Pro League Final. While sound-proof player booths were not in play at the event, players were required to wear noise-canceling headphones to compensate. Mousesports youngster, Robin ‘ropz’ Kool, has previously weighed in with his thoughts on the ongoing crowd noise debate, by favoring a player booth and noise-canceling headphone combination and explaining how “you can play clutches on crowd” as it stands. Regardless of the esport, obtaining information outside of the in-game resources that are available should, of course, be avoided where possible. Given the traction that the issue has gathered, Activision will be hoping to have a fix in the pipeline before the start of the Call of Duty League in just over one month’s time.

Clayster explains how rumored draft system could work in Call of Duty franchise league eUnited’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks believes that a draft system could add an interesting dynamic to the upcoming Call of Duty franchise league. Activision confirmed back in February 2019 that CoD would be following in the footsteps of Overwatch and League of Legends by creating a franchised league in order to create a unified structure for the Call of Duty World League. Currently, teams are forced into a tough set of qualifiers to earn their place in the pro league – however, franchised spots will be available to purchase with reports suggesting they could cost as much as $25 million, with some even suggesting bids in the region of $40 million. While a draft format is popular in various professional sports leagues like the NFL and NHL, it is yet to be implemented in a massive esport like CoD. Both Formula One and NBA 2k have experimented with drafts in the past, and Clayster wants to see a similar approach adopted by Call of Duty for the upcoming franchise league. “I’m really curious how the teams would go about picking their teams depending on the pick order,” he said. “I guess that strictly relies on what goal the teams want.” If there is a CoD draft, with 12 teams, who do you see being first rounders? Scump, Crim, Damon, Dashy, Octane, Slasher, Kenny, Priestah, Gunless, Formal, Huke, Teej?, Simp?, Me? Would be interesting for the 1st round then you start hitting the DEPTHS lmfao — eU Clayster (@Clayster) May 10, 2019 Winning or brand recognition? A meld of the two? If all the “”superstar talent”” is gone, do you then try and make a popular team? If all the super good NA talent is taken, do you take chances on the up-and-coming foreign talent e.g. Denial/Heretics this year? — eU Clayster (@Clayster) May 10, 2019 How would a Call of Duty draft work? Fans were quick to create concept drafts for the players currently competing in the CWL. Each franchised city would be able to pick one player per turn to complete their roster. As mentioned by Clayster, teams would be forced to pick their players based on a variety of factors such as in-game ability or popularity outside of the game, creating an interesting new dynamic that CoD has never seen. Now this is what I was looking for, these look like better teams. https://t.co/DLc8cOF6EC — eU Clayster (@Clayster) May 10, 2019 The former FaZe Clan member confirmed that he had no information regarding the upcoming franchise league and was simply speculating how the format could work. There have been no developments from Activision as to whether a draft will be implemented, but that could all change with more cities expected to purchase franchise spots in the coming months.

Clayster dismisses CoD Burner’s claims about eUnited’s fifth player eUnited’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks is not happy with the infamous ‘CoDBurner’ once again, after claims made about who the team would be recruiting as their fifth player. Clayster has already voiced his discontent with the CoDBurners ‘leaks’ and rumor spreading, complaining that it is often personal information that should not be in the public domain. The CoDBurner is unrelenting though, and continues to discuss insider info on a daily basis, using their Reddit account, which is subsequently shared to Twitter via an unrelated update account. One of the Burner’s latest claims is that eUnited is looking to pick up one of four players; Nicholas ‘Classic’ DiCostanzo, Jacob ‘Decemate’ Cato, Rasim ‘Blazt’ Ogresevic or Ulysses ‘AquA’ Silva. They also claim that eUnited have ruled out Daniel ‘Loony’ Loza, because he apparently “doesn’t like” eUnited player Tyler ‘FeLo’ Johnson – although the pair were teammates for a long time. Clayster strongly retorts these claims though, in no uncertain terms, stating that the CoDBurner is flat out wrong. When provided with the CoDBurner’s supporting “evidence”, Clayster clearly was not impressed by this either. He later said “this dude’s posting pictures of clubs and 4 year old youtube videos, it’s actually hilarious”, referring to the detective work put together by the CoDBurner. With teams like Echo Fox, FaZe Clan and Luminosity also still to announce, the North American Rostermania is in full swing, but Clayster advises not to take what the CoDBurner says at face value.

Clayster defends Dallas Empire over Huke benching: “They’re trying to get better” Activision / DexertoDays after Dallas Empire made the shocking announcement that Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland would be moving to the bench, former championship-winning teammate James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has spoken up to defend the decision. When news broke late on April 23 that Huke was being benched by the Dallas Empire, it caught the entire Call of Duty scene by surprise. The 21-year-old was holding his own throughout the first two stages, Empire was second in the overall standings, and they had just won a match that very day. No one saw it coming, so naturally, the reception was a mixed bag of confusion and frustration. With Tyler ‘FeLo’ Johnson stepping into the starting lineup, nobody was certain what led to the sudden change. Days removed from one of the biggest roster shakeups in 2021 and former Empire champion Clayster has chimed in. While there’s plenty of outrage with Huke on the bench, Clayster took the chance to defend his former team. “It takes so much balls to do a change like Empire did,” Huke’s former teammate said on Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto’s The Flank. “The fact that people are roasting them is insane.” From Clay’s perspective, it’s a risky move, but they’re only doing it in hopes of improving. “They’re a top-three team trying to get better,” he stressed. They could have rested on their laurels but they want to reach that top spot yet again. Moreover, he outlined plenty of other factors that would have made the shuffle worse. First of all, “they’re trying to do it with people they have under their umbrella already.” By rotating FeLo into the mix, it’s not as though they’re replacing Huke with an outsider unworthy of the spot. Empire is also testing the new starting four in “League matches. This isn’t a Major, this isn’t Champs,” Clay added. “They’re trying something out and they’re getting relentlessly roasted for it. “In reality, it has to make sense from their point of view.” While Empire’s initial statement did little to clarify the decision, ZooMaa quickly sided with Clay, outlining that “there’s probably so much more to it. “There could be stuff going on behind the scenes. Sometimes you don’t know the whole story.” Despite keeping things fairly close against the Stage 2 champions Toronto Ultra in their first series with FeLo, Empire ultimately suffered a 0-3 loss in the London Home Series. Read More: Scump calls on CoD devs to improve new maps – With barely a few days of practice together, both Clay and ZooMaa wants fans to “give them a bit more time” before properly judging the roster move.

Clayster considering break from pro CoD as online ‘sucks the fun out’ of the CDL Call of Duty LeagueNew York Subliners veteran James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has revealed he’s considering a break from competitive Call of Duty, amid frustrations with the Black Ops Cold War season continuing online. While previous seasons of professional CoD have aimed to have as many matches as possible on LAN, the ongoing global health crisis has necessitated an entirely online setup for the CDL’s second season. Many pros argue that online play is not as consistent as LAN due to the effects of internet connection, latency and other factors. However, the cost of creating a “bubble” – like we’ve seen in the NBA and some other professional sports leagues – is far too high for the CDL to realistically recreate. The result has been a move to entirely online play, including majors like the ongoing Stage II Major. Despite promising results in group play, they suffered a disappointing exit at the hands of LA Thieves, placing 7/8th. [#CDL2021 Stage 2 Major | LR3] THIEVES CAN’T BE STOPPED! The new-look @LAThieves stay red-hot with a dominant sweep over @Subliners! 📰: https://t.co/NeCGbVd9tZ pic.twitter.com/tWwAiQ0v29 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 10, 2021 Off the back of the defeat, veteran Clayster let his disappointment be known in a series of tweets on April 9, explaining his struggles and frustrations with how the season is developing. “So sick of everything recently,” he tweeted, “[I’m] not really sure where my heads at and feelin’ lost for the last few months. Hope I can reset and gain back some confidence/motivation or else idk what’s gonna happen. Playing this last year online has really sucked all the fun out of it. Tough.” so sick of everything recently. not really sure where my heads at and feelin’ lost for the last few months. hope i can reset and gain back some confidence/motivation or else idk what’s gonna happen. playing this last year online has really sucked all the fun out of it. tough. — Clayster (@Clayster) April 10, 2021 “Just really down with my mental health,” he elaborated. “Combination of being dropped [from Dallas Empire], Tommy [ZooMaa]. retiring… not seeing my friends/family, not having the outlets I normally do. Just a whole clusterf**k of things that I’ve really struggled with lately. Might need to take some time away.” A final tweet thanked fans and fellow pros for reaching out. His frustrations with online play have been echoed by other pros like SlasheR, who was replaced on LA Thieves’ roster amid their CDL struggles. won’t blow up your feed anymore. thanks to everyone who reached out, it means more than you know. — Clayster (@Clayster) April 10, 2021 Many consider Clayster to be one of the best CoD players of all time – he is one of only three players to ever win three World Championships. We wish him the best with his mental health and expect him to bounce back, like he has done countless times before.