Activision have revealed new details for the Call of Duty franchised league by outlining crucial bits such as roster sizes of every team, as well as general structures for contracts and a lot more.

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Now that the Call of Duty World League 2019 has wrapped up, the franchised league organizers have unveiled a lot more info aspiring players will want to know as teams start to construct their rosters.

The new league will require teams to field a minimum of seven players with a maximum of 10 members. With every player contract, there will be a league minimum “base salary of $50,000 USD per year, health care benefits, and retirement benefits.”

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Opening Signing Window

Pro players and rising talents alike will be interested to know that the Opening Signing window for the new league will commence on September 3, 2019.

This means that any pro “may negotiate and sign a new contract with any team in the league at this time.” While players attached to a contract “remain subject to the terms of that contract while they negotiate new league contracts.”

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But teams in the league will be able to match offers made by other franchise teams to their pros within seven days “from the date of the initial contract submission to the league.”

This means that the scene might have expensive bidding wars for some players as teams look to bolster their rosters.

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Player Contracts

Along with franchise teams being allowed to match each other’s offers for a pro player, teams currently in the Call of Duty World League (non-franchise) can negotiate a contract buyout fee “to be paid by the team in the new league.”

• Read more: Florida and LA franchises for Call of Duty league announced

This will give franchised teams a mutual avenue to acquire players from orgs not in the new Call of Duty league. While buyout fees do NOT have a set minimum, they will be “capped at 100 percent” of the player’s new salary in the new league plus any applicable guaranteed bonuses.

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The announcement added the stipulation that all of the matching rights and buyout fees are subject to “ any contractual limitations on such fees that the player has negotiated in the player contract with the Call of Duty World League team.”

Finally, franchised teams will be able to engage in player trades throughout the “majority of the 2020 season.

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Roster sizes

The new league will require teams to field a minimum of seven players with a maximum of 10 members. This pales in comparison to the Call of Duty World League’s five-man lineup with a single sub in the sidelines.

Theoretically, this will introduce a ton of dynamic strats to the Call of Duty esports scene by giving teams various units to field that can perhaps concentrate on different gameplans should the starting approach fail to pan out.

The expanded roster size could also tie into the league’s rule in which “teams may send up to two pro players from their roster to compete in the Path to Pro events.” A single franchise team can have up to four total pros on 2-way contracts at once.

• Read more: Nadeshot “cautiously optimistic” about Call of Duty franchising

Furthermore, the Call of Duty franchised league will be played as a 5v5 Multiplayer “team versus team competition” only on console, with substitutions being allowed “midseries.”

Player salaries

With every player contract, there will be a league minimum “base salary of $50,000 USD per year, health care benefits, and retirement benefits.” It’s important to note that at least 50% of total event prize pool earnings goes straight to the players.

If a team decides to drop a player without cause, then they’ll have to pay out the rest of the players’ salary per their guaranteed contract.

For a full look at the upcoming structure for the new Call of Duty league, check out Activision’s full announcement below.

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Call of Duty Esports 2020 Season – Team Roster Construction Details

News

WITH A NEW VISION OF CALL OF DUTY ESPORTS ON THE HORIZON, WE DETAIL THE ROSTER CONSTRUCTION RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR THE 2020 SEASON

This weekend, the Call of Duty World League season wrapped another stellar season with eUnited capturing the ultimate prize: The Call of Duty World League Championship. Congratulations to all competitors and thank you to the teams, players, and staff members from all over the world who helped make this past season so special.

Looking ahead, Call of Duty professional esports will begin to transform into a city-based franchised league with teams around the world. Today, we outline below some of the roster construction parameters set forth for all teams in the new city-based league as they begin to develop their pro player rosters. This information was also shared in person with pro CWL players last month.

PRO TEAM ROSTER CONSTRUCTION IN 2020

The process set forth below is designed to foster competitive balance within the league; to provide players with the opportunity to compete regularly during the season and to promote player development at all levels of competitive Call of Duty; to provide the best Call of Duty players in the world with the opportunity to compete in the new city-based league if they so choose; to provide players with the flexibility to sign with any team in the new league on fair terms; to incentivize investment by team owners in player development in competitive Call of Duty outside of the new city-based league system; and to incentivize team investment in the Call of Duty Path to Pro amateur program and player pipeline development generally; and to provide team owners with fair compensation for their investment in player development.

Below is a summary of key roster construction points for aspiring Call of Duty esports players, as teams in the new league begin to build their rosters in the coming weeks and months:

• The next season of Call of Duty esports for Pro Players will begin in 2020.
• Pro match play will be 5v5 Multiplayer team versus team competition, played on console. The rules may include midseries substitutions.
• The minimum pro roster size per team is 7; the maximum pro roster size per team is 10.
• An Open Signing Window for all pro players begins September 3, 2019. This means that any player may negotiate and sign a new contract with any team in the league at this time. For the avoidance of doubt, players who are currently under contract with an existing organization remain subject to the terms of that contract while they negotiate new league contracts.
• Existing Call of Duty World League organizations who are transitioning into the new league as a city-based team will have the ability to sign players who are currently on their 2019 CWL rosters to new contracts 8 days earlier than any other organization beginning August 26.
• All players will be required to sign a new form contract in order to be eligible to compete in the upcoming league.
• Contract negotiation is between a player and teams. The League Office will not advise players or teams in contract negotiations.
• All pro players in the league will receive a minimum base salary of $50,000 USD per year, health care benefits, and retirement benefits. Teams are required to distribute at least 50% of their prize pool earnings to players directly.
• All pro player contracts will be guaranteed contracts; thus, any team that drops a player from their roster without cause is required to pay out that player’s remaining salary.
• All teams may offer their players housing in the form of a suitable place to live or cash stipend but are not required to do so. If a team does not offer housing, it must submit a plan to the League Office detailing how it will assist its players in finding housing during the season. The League does not require that players live in the cities they represent.
• Teams are responsible for coordinating and acquiring any visa paperwork required for players to compete around the world. The League Office will support teams and players in this process as needed.
• Teams may send up to 2 pro players from their roster to compete in the Path to Pro events held throughout the season. Teams may contract up to 4 total pro players to have 2-way contracts at a given time.

For current Call of Duty esports players who are under existing contracts that extend through January 2020:

• Existing Call of Duty World League teams that are transitioning into the new league will have the right to match a competing offer made to a player on their current roster from another team in the new league. The matching period will be limited to a maximum of 7 days from the date of the initial contract submission to the league.
• All Call of Duty World League teams will have the ability to negotiate a contract buyout fee to be paid by the team in the new league. Buyout fees carry no set minimum and are capped at 100 percent of the player’s salary in the new league plus any applicable guaranteed bonuses.
• The right to match and buyout fees are subject to any contractual limitations on such fees that the player has negotiated in the player contract with the Call of Duty World League team.
• Player trades among teams in the pro league may take place through majority of the 2020 season.

PATH TO PRO: ONLINE & OPEN BRACKET TOURNAMENT COMPETITION RETURNS IN 2020

We recognize the importance of a thriving Path to Pro competitive scene in Call of Duty esports, which has continued to garner strong participation and prizing each year. Going forward, we will support and administer extensive amateur competitions, both online and via open bracket tournaments in cities around the world, with dedicated prize pools. More details about the path to pro system and upcoming open bracket tournament events will be shared in the coming months.

The future of Call of Duty Esports is bright and builds on a strong legacy of competitive excellence. We are committed to supporting our incredible player community, teams, fans, and partners in its next chapter.