Quelle: PC Games Hardware
February 23, 2024 at 9:15 a.m. – Go big or go home: This lawsuit demands a whopping $680 million in damages from Activision Blizzard. But what exactly for?
Activision Blizzard is currently facing a lawsuit that includes an extremely high amount of damages. The cause? The CEO behind a Call of Duty e-sports team blames Activision Blizzard's monopoly power for forcing him into “financially ruinous partnerships” that risked being uncompetitive in the league . The sum demanded because of this? 680 million dollars. The co-plaintiff is a former player of the plaintiff team.
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Lawsuit over Activision Blizzard's monopoly position in e-sports
Behind the lawsuit is Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez, head of OpTic Gaming, who is supported by former OpTic player Seth “Scump” Abner. But how exactly did Activision Blizzard harm them both? In the past, competitive CoD tournaments were often held by independent third-party organizers, with any team able to participate. In 2019, Activision Blizzard launched the Call of Duty League (CDL). From then on there was only one tournament per year, and on top of that only twelve teams were allowed to take part, coupled with franchising fees that demanded millions of dollars for participation.
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Expensive league, plus a lot of money goes to Activision Blizzard
The lawsuit emphasizes that a spot in the league would cost $27.5 million, while 50 percent of merchandise revenue and ticket sales go to Activision Blizzard. The exclusive rights for sponsors, which are the most lucrative, also go to Activision Blizzard. On top of that, the lawsuit emphasizes that teams were not allowed to participate in third-party tournaments and individual players were restricted from securing their own sponsors.
Source: Infinity Ward/Activision In 2019, when the new edition of Modern Warfare was released, Activision Blizzard turned the e-sports scene inside out to Call of Duty. An example of the lawsuit refers to the year 2020, in which players were supposed to sign an agreement that would bind them to the new league rules – without the possibility of having them checked by lawyers, otherwise they would lose their place a few days before the start of the league could lose in the league.
How does Activision Blizzard react?
Activision Blizzard said in a statement: “Mr. Rodriguez (aka OpTic H3CZ) and Mr. Abner (aka Scump) demanded that Activision pay them tens of millions of dollars to avoid this meritless lawsuit and as their demands were not met, they filed a lawsuit. We will vigorously defend ourselves against these claims, which have no basis in fact or law. We are disappointed that these members of the esports community are filing this lawsuit, which is for team owners, players, fans and partners who have invested so much time and energy into the success of the Call of Duty League is disruptive.”
Quelle: The Verge