Evil Geniuses Leaving CoD Scene

The move has raised concern amongst the CoD fanbase over the future of teams that don’t make the cut when it comes to franchising. Many had worried whether teams would be able to survive without one of the spots, and this move would seem to indicate that that, unfortunately, won’t be a possibility for teams, much like the Overwatch scene after it franchised.

While the news is likely to disappoint many of those who’ve supported some of these orgs who aren’t moving to the franchise system, most of the comments on the move seemed to be pretty positive.

The majority opinion appears to be that EG’s leaving is actually a sensible move, especially considering the circumstances around franchising. The $25 million has been a big turn off for many orgs, with the low viewership count turning even those who could afford it feeling uneasy.

FaZe Banks, Richard Lewis, and Devin Nash amongst others have all expressed their concern with the move. They’ve all pointed out how CoD averages viewership at a quarter the size of Overwatch’s, and a tenth the size of League of Legends. Both of these games have already established franchise systems, and both still struggle to generate long-term revenue.

Imagine a scene not even near the same size as these games trying the same thing; it’s just not going to work out unless there’s a sudden spike in interest. The launch of the new Modern Warfare may help bring people back, but with games like Halo coming back in, along with the ever-rising market share of CS:GO and Rainbow 6 Siege, there’s going to be a lot of competition for viewership in the shooter genre.

While we hope that the league succeeds, as we do with all esports endeavors, our outlook is rather pessimistic for the franchise system so far. Whether we even see any of the pre-franchise teams stick around remains to be seen, but it’s looking grimmer by the day. Regardless, the Evil Geniuses Call of Duty team will be missed.