On the 15th and 16th of October, Call of Duty legends from past and present will reunite at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas. They’ll be taking to the stage in ‘somewhat randomised’ teams to fight for a $25,000 prize pool, but as a twist, they’ll be playing on Black Ops II. There’s a huge amount of excitement among the fans, as ‘The Off-Season’ event brings together some of the most explosive, remarkable talents from the last ten years of competitive Call of Duty.
And if that wasn’t enough, they’ll be competing on a game that is widely considered to be the absolute pinnacle of Call of Duty multiplayer games. This year, there’s very little time between the 2022 season and the 2023 season kicking off, but this tournament fills the small gap that does exist very nicely. With four teams driven by eight all-star captains, we’ll see decades’ worth of Call of Duty experience up on the Arlington stage.
Back to Black Ops II
KiLLa and Karma, who are both competing in this event, won the World Championship with Fariko on Black Ops II in 2013. (Image Credit: Call of Duty)
Once upon a time, Call of Duty: Black Ops II worked hard to change COD esports for the better. It was (and still is) widely regarded as the best multiplayer platform in the history of the game, and a single season on Black Ops II was powerful enough to shape the future of the COD scene for years to come. Now, between October 15th and 16th, sixteen of history’s most iconic Call of Duty players will dive back into the platform, eager to secure the lion’s share of the $25,000 prize.
Here are the teams that are confirmed at the time of writing this article:
- Team Scump: Scump, BigTymeR, Arcitys, Prestinni
- Team Karma: Karma, Rambo, Merk, Temp
- Team Envoy: Envoy, Crimsix, JKap, ACHES
- Team MBoze: MBoze, KiLLa
There is a staggering amount of talent on the table in those four teams, with many of the players featured being world championship-grade competitors. For instance, take Karma, affectionately known as the GOAT, boasting three world championship rings. He’s going up against Crimsix, the winningest player in Call of Duty history. Then, on the top team, Arcitys, the highest-earning player in the history of Call of Duty esports.
It must be said that there isn’t a single weak spot out of those four teams, and some of the pairings should be absolutely hilarious. There should be special attention paid to Team Envoy, which boasts massive personalities in ACHES, JKap, and of course, recently retired competitor, Crimsix.
How To Watch The Off-Season $25k Tournament
At present, all we know is that The Off-Season Black Ops II Invitational will be covered by ‘three different streams’. It isn’t yet known who will be hosting these streams, but we do know that the central hosts for the event itself are Hitch, Blake, and Jorge. It stands to reason that the event will be streamed on Twitch, but for extra footfall, it may also be streamed live on YouTube.
For Call of Duty esports fans, this event should be legendary. It’s an honest-to-God reunion of some of the most legendary players in the business, and it’s a throwback to simpler times when Call of Duty was back-to-basics unparalleled multiplayer action.
