“If they stopped doing annual cycles and started thinking about longevity, it would be interesting”: Former Call of Duty boss discusses the limits of esports

I Call of Duty League has never reached the heights of other similar esports shooters THE VALORANT again Counter-Strike 2. Highest viewership in 2026 so far 353,000, set by Section 1 Majornot even close to the state of “death” but he is far behind the competition.

There is a lot of speculation as to why Call of Duty doesn’t seem to reach the same audience as other shooters. The only problem is that it has the same structure and support as the Overwatch League, which failed miserably due to many bad decisions made by Activision. A few years ago, CDL moved to select YouTube as part of the partnership.

Another big problem? The game itself loses players. It currently has only 35,000 players online, according to SteamDB. CoD fatigue is real. And with mixed feelings about Black Ops 7, players turned to other FPS titles. This means losing interest in esport as well.

Now, former Call of Duty Multiplayer Creative Director Greg Reisdorf has voiced his thoughts on why the arcade is failing.

There are so many Call of Duty games. New ones come out every year, and it not only leads to fast games and lonely players but also hinders the growth of the esports scene.

Hellcase recently asked Reisdorf if the team had considered a different PvP version of the game that could remain as consistent as Counter-Strike, keeping the esports scene away from the yearly release schedule.

“It always came up in development: why are we doing this over and over again? It’s always a conversation with players and within the devs because you do it over and over again,” he said.

Basically, esports players and casual players alike don’t like the idea of ​​spending “hundreds and thousands of hours” trying to get good, only to be “uprooted” again when a new game comes out.

“You master those skills throughout your life, and you master the skills to use the controller and everything else, but not necessarily the rules of the game, because the rules of the game change every year or every season for that matter,” Reisdorf said.

At this point, there is no consensus among players, fans, or the league itself. Major changes and updates – like new characters – have always been a major distraction for many games, leading to burnout in the past. Rushing to learn a new meta every few months, which sometimes renders their character obsolete, is a serious problem in sports compared to traditional games.

But Call of Duty takes this to the extreme. There is something new the game every season.

Reisdorf noted that it would be nice to have a consistent brand for people to stick with, especially in the esports space. It would create more longevity, like Counter-Strike, and create a stronger and more dedicated competitive player base. As there are well-known names in the scene, fans will increase.

VALORANT content strategist Roxanne “Lux” told X: “People are invested in esports alone. They’re invested in STORY AND PEOPLE. Give them something to help you.

“Until orgs start building narratives and funding the production, content, and marketing needed to reach new audiences, esports will remain stuck in its own loop, fighting for the same attention instead of growing beyond it.”

Unfortunately, Activision needs to make money. And that means a new game every year. Which also means broken narratives, retired players, and tired fans. League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike are well-established titles that have remained largely the same for years. Stories grow, players rise, talent is honed, rivalries form, and fans are informed and invested. That’s something Call of Duty League lacks.

Hellcase asked if Activision could change skins and other cosmetics, like Counter-Strike. This way, they can make money without having to create a completely new game every year. Yes, Call of Duty League fans are so desperate for the league to feel strong and gain more fans that they are willing to buy skins. Just stop doing so many games, mah.

“Yes, I mean that’s a good example in the community and, in the public marketplace in Steam, where people can go and trade those things. That’s absolutely what I built my new company for: the idea that you can build your community and invest in it, where they can work and create jobs around it, which you can’t really do inside Steam, “you can say that money.”

However, since funding has decreased across the industry, it may be difficult to rely on in-game purchases. I mean, if it costs $85 to fill up your travel vehicle, you might not have $10 left over to spend on a random Call of Duty skin.

Instead, he wonders if the Call of Duty League could make better use of its existing community, aiming to produce honest, passionate content. This includes fan-generated content and listening closely to fan feedback to see what they really want.

It seems that the Call of Duty League may continue to be in a difficult place for now. How can you build a fan base and grow a community if the game changes every season?

Fans have some ideas. They want more tournaments instead of league games, and they want league games to be played on LAN rather than internet. Some fans also want the league to be expanded to have more teams. But can this really make the Call of Duty League grow? Will it reach new regions?

“CoD is not made for esports,” suggested one fan. “It’s just a normal game that happens to have a competitive community among them.

The general audience is clearly important to Call of Duty, which explains the constant stream of new titles. Activision wants money from regular gamers who buy a new title on Xbox every year. That’s where the money comes from. Not sports. Holding back on its crazy release schedule for the sake of esports would make no sense.

Added another fan: ” The game changes every year, which doesn’t happen with any other esports title, it’s a full price, premium release, it’s played with a controller, it has a terrible stigma against it… Do I need to go on?”