After largely falling to the wayside during the first season of the Call of Duty World League, the European region rebounded by displacing a handful of North American favorites en route to four teams finishing in the top 12 of the 2016 Call of Duty World Championships.
This year, expectations are different. Rather, expectations are warranted. No longer just the "baby brother" in the competitive Call of Duty scene, it would be a surprise to not see at least four European teams in the final 12 of the 2017 Call of Duty World Championships. A maturation process that has taken two years to bloom, one thing is now clear: Europe as a region is poised for its best results ever at CoD Champs.
World League lives up to name
While the 2016 Call of Duty World Championships essentially served as the region's introduction to the mainstream audience, it certainly didn't fade away into the spotlight in 2017. During the five major open events, European teams placed in the top 12 a total of 16 times, with another 11 teams just missing the cut-off by finishing in 13th-16th place.
And despite a lack of success during the group portions of Stage 1 and 2 of the CWL Global Pro League, Splyce, the 2016 World Championship runners-up, even managed to win the Stage 1 Playoffs. The banner year is in no small part thanks to the creation of the CWL Global Pro League, which has only helped foster growth in a scene that may have otherwise drowned due to insufficient funds or simply dysfunction.
CEO and President of Splyce, Marty "Lazerchicken" Strenczewilk echoes a similar statement, having witnessed the recent wave of success firsthand. "Having the structure of the CWL is something I believe has helped European Call of Duty progress to the next level. It has ensured more consistent competition to practice for, more quality LAN events to attend, and a general sense of a very professional league that the players participate in. I think it's also helped attract larger organizations like us at Splyce and Fnatic, bringing further stability to the scene and how we support our players. Especially in 2016, many players have pointed to the routine weekly competition as something that really helped drive the overall level of EU COD to the next level."
In truth, the increase in major tournaments thanks to the CWL structure has helped all regions, something esports commentator and analyst Rondez "Fox" Green attributes to the rise in overall play. "The infrastructure allows more players to be more focused and dedicated to professional play, as they can prioritize it over other things like day jobs and an educational career that they may not be passionate about completing. Many players, rightfully so, still pursue school, but the CWL can put them in a situation where pro CoD players don't have to settle for one pathway. The job security provided by the CWL, in terms of funding and scheduling, is huge."
As the CWL continues to gain a foothold in the competitive scene, so too does the ever-increasing pool of potential players. More competition has begun to breed better competition, and Europe is reaping the benefits.
Success on the scorecard
You can follow the rise of Europe simply through the scoreboard. In the first major open event of the season, CWL Las Vegas, just three EU teams placed in the top 16, with the highest seed clocking in at 9th-12th place thanks in large part to the fact the region was forced to play through the open bracket. Fast forward to CWL Atlanta, where EU teams were able to participate in pool play matches without going through the open bracket, and EU predictably fared much better, as six teams placed in the top 16 including a surprising 5th-6th place run by Team Infused. A week later, Europe got get even closer to the top of the totem pole, as Team Infused would earn a fourth place finish at CWL Paris.
"The job security provided by the CWL, in terms of funding and scheduling, is huge." Rondez "Fox" Green
Europe would continue to creep up the standings in major tournaments, this time with Splyce finishing in fourth place ahead of four other top-16 brethren at CWL Dallas before it would ultimately claim a first place finish during the Stage 1 Playoffs. The win would mark the first time any European team had claimed a major Call of Duty tournament win on North American soil.
Has the region peaked?
Perhaps it's a good thing the above question is being asked at all, given that would mean Europe had risen to such a level where a stumble would be noticeable. It would be ignorant to ignore Europe's recent struggles at events, most notably during the CWL Stage 2 Playoffs, where favorites Splyce limped to a 7th-8th place finish, while the upstarts Fnatic only managed to place 5th-6th in the eight team event littered with North American championship hopefuls.
Still, the poor showing may have created a silver lining - the proverbial "kick in the pants."
After all, it wasn't too long ago when Stage 2 Playoffs runner-ups, Team EnVyUs, finished with its lowest placing (21th-24th at CWL Anaheim) in the history of the organization, only to rebound and take second in Group Green of the CWL Global Pro League Stage 2, before making its aforementioned run through the playoffs.
Especially in this iteration of the game, which has seen only one team manage to win two major events (technically, OpTic Gaming has won three), the old adage "expect the unexpected" would certainly apply.
It may seem unlikely right now, but the proof is etched into the record books: this year's crop of European talent is the best we've ever seen. The region is officially a threat, and it isn't going away.