Call of Duty World League champions look back on a year of Black Ops III esports

The road to the Call of Duty Championship isn’t an easy one. It’s filled with gut-wrenching losses, surprise upsets, and an ever-shifting play field as new games change the rules from one year to the next. And if the most recent esports event is anything to go by, the 2016 Championship will be exceptionally chaotic.

The Call of Duty World League (CWL) wrapped up its first season on April 3 with a tournament that pitted the best teams in North America against each other in the popular first-person shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops III. The World League is just the latest example of publisher Activision’s huge investment in the lucrative esports business. Research firm Newzoo said in a recent report that the hardcore esports audience is 131 million strong, and that global revenue will reach $463 million in 2016.