The Call of Duty League comes back on April 10th

The Call of Duty League is making its comeback very soon. Today, the league announced that play would resume on April 10th, several weeks after the schedule was put on hiatus due to the ongoing cornavirus pandemic. As was previously announced, upcoming CDL matches will be played online instead of at live events. “No one wants to be in this situation, but we are, and we’re thankful that Call of Duty League can forge ahead and deliver live competition to fans when it’s probably needed most,” commissioner Johanna Faries said in a statement.

The CDL debuted in 2020 as a follow-up of sorts to the Overwatch League, which is also operated by Activision Blizzard; both esports leagues are designed around teams based in specific cities around the world, with home-and-away matches much like in a traditional sports league. However, given the current global health crisis, those plans have since been put on hold. The Overwatch League began playing its first online matches on March 28th. Both OWL and the CDL are broadcast on YouTube.

The online shift is something most esports leagues around the world are dealing with, including the ESL Pro League, Flashpoint, and every major League of Legends competition. “We wanted to make sure that the show went on,” Craig Levine, global chief strategy officer of the ESL Pro League, told The Verge last month. Meanwhile, ESPN has begun broadcasting competitive gaming, and pro racing drivers have started competing in virtual events.

In the absence of the CDL, Call of Duty has still managed a rise in popularity thanks to the launch of the free-to-play battle royale Warzone. For those looking to catch up on this weekend’s matches, the complete schedule is right here.