Call of Duty players sue Activision for ‘monopolizing the competition market’ – Gaming – News

Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard is being sued in the United States by competitive players of the shooter for restricting competition in leagues and tournaments. According to Activision, this claim has “no basis in fact or law.”

Of indictment was submitted by professional Call of Duty players Hector Rodriguez and Seth Abner. They claim that Activision Blizzard ‘unlawfully monopolizes the lucrative market for Call of Duty competitions and tournaments’.

According to the complaint, competitions and tournaments were still a “vibrant, competitive market” until 2019. This is said to have changed after Activision decided to open its own league and eliminate the competition. In 2016, Activision acquired Major League Gaming, a major organizer of Call of Duty competitions.

In addition, Activision would impose ‘draconian’ contract provisions on teams and players in the leagues and tournaments. Those who did not want to meet Activision’s “excessive demands” were removed from the professional Call of Duty market, the complaint states.

Before the lawsuit, the pair demanded a claim for ‘tens of millions of dollars’, which was rejected by Activision, writes Reuters news agency. Activision does not agree with the complaint and says it will ‘strongly defend itself against the claims’.

The Call of Duty franchise was introduced in 2003 and is one of the most important games owned by Activision, with annual sales of billions of dollars. Activision became last year acquired by Microsoft. The most recent game in the franchise is Modern Warfare IIIwhich was released in November 2023.