Why 2022 Call of Duty League format should make season more exciting

Around the midway point of the 2021 Call of Duty League season, a feeling that the games lacked importance started to tug away at me, and I could never quite shake it until Champs drew near.

Group play seemed largely inconsequential, as every team was moving on to the majors regardless of outcomes. A total of five stages, each identical in format with only a lone all-star weekend to break up the monotony, created a sense of tedium as the season dragged on.

Rostermania at times felt like a bigger deal than the matches themselves, except the intrigue devolved into a punch line as several orgs shuffled their rosters around every month or two — or, in some cases, every couple weeks. It probably didn’t help that FaZe winning the world championship looked inevitable, either, even if that wasn’t due to how CDL was set up.

It appears the powers that be have identified some of the same shortcomings, however, as the CDL is going with a less-is-more approach for 2022.

New rules reduce the length of the upcoming season from five majors to four, and all are planned to be on LAN – in Texas, Minnesota, Toronto and New York.

The ability to play those final major brackets on LAN in front of fans, as we saw return at the end of last season, will obviously make a world of difference in enthusiasm levels, too.

A pair of exhibition series have also been added to help break up the middle of the season. In addition to the preseason Kickoff Classic that is happening this weekend, Jan. 21-23, CDL will introduce a Call of Duty Pro-Am tournament as well as a Call of Duty: Warzone event this year. The new events join traditional All-Star Weekend festivities as part of a month-long break between Majors II and III — potentially a nice reset for viewers and competitors alike.

Granted, these changes don’t address let alone begin to fix the larger issues facing CDL, such as the league’s franchise model that hasn’t resonated with many fans or disappointment with this year’s installment of the game, Call of Duty: Vanguard.

It’s unlikely any of these problems are going to eliminate interest in COD altogether, though, seeing as it’s one of the best-selling games in the world. So, the question is how does CDL produce a more compelling product, one that can draw new viewers who don’t follow the esport already?

The new format for 2022 is a good start. Shortening the season, making matches feel more meaningful and throwing in some different tournaments to change up the viewing experience will help CDL continue feeling fresh throughout the year — even if FaZe’s dominance is still preordained.

Lead photo credit: Call of Duty League