The Call of Duty League’s Problems and How to Fix Them

The Call of Duty League's launch weekend was quite the event, but didn't go off without a hitch. There were multiple technical and broadcast issues that honestly plagued the League's debut. At one point during the opening match there was a delay due to a long-standing streaming issue. Twenty minutes later, the issue was finally fixed.

There were more than a few terrible streaming issues during the Modern Warfare matches. However, the dismay and disappointment from the crowd was palpable, even if you watched through your desktop screen. Minnesota may have hosted the first event, rather admirably, but there were more than a few glaring issues throughout the night. One of the most notable? The camera, the camera, and of course, the camera.

Call of Duty commentator, Maven, had this to say:

“My biggest issue…the camera shot made it look way emptier than it was at times because the front section to my understanding, was VIP. A lot of the shots, it would look empty because VIPs were out in the VIP lounge, getting drinks, doing all sorts of stuff, and it was just driving me insane.”

The camera may have been trying to show off the “exclusivity” and “cool vibes” of the COD League atmosphere, but the next broadcast should focus less on what is there and more about what is going on. Where are the team shots? Where are the reaction cams from fans to all the badass multikills? If little issues like this were worked out, there would be far more for fans to watch and engage with. This is not to mention it makes for better sports tv and streaming.

Sound and Production Issues

The audio was another big issue, which fellow commentator, TeePee spoke about after the match:

“The crowd’s microphones need to be tweaked a little bit. It was definitely louder in the venue than I feel like was portrayed on the streams sometimes.”

The crowd, for as rambunctious and enthused as they were at points, was failed by a crew refusing to stretch their hands and show off the power of the people watching the games. The sound must have been diabolically loud at points, but you would have never guessed that from the way the stream was presented.

Maven later went on to say the following:

“The single biggest thing from a production standpoint, Merk and I had a laugh about this, we had our first meeting in LA about a month before and they told us they had an hour and fifteen set aside for matches. We thought that’s insane, there’s no way you’re going to be on schedule.”

So when even your commentators refute the quality of your stream,  the only thing that you can do is try and correct the failings that came before. If the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare League actually wants to appease its fans, they will need much better sound quality. They'll need more interesting camera angles that showcase the crowd's enthusiasm as much as the players'. And, of course, they need to not run a twenty-minute delay before their first match even begins. This is regardless of any potential technical issues.

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