Due to the constant issue of player booting during MLG Pro League matches and other events, MLG was forced to make a move to save what was left of the participating player’s sanity, not to mention the sanity of the fans watching! The issue began sometime in the middle of Season 3 of the MLG Pro League when unknown  persons began DDOSing players trying to complete league matches and in 2K’s, 5K’s, and 10K’s on the weekends. Unfortunately, measures taken by the players and MLG to protect the IP addresses of those affected failed; the bad guys won this battle!
Though it is not known as a fact, the player booting was blamed on Vulcun, an eSports fantasy site. Users of the site could choose 8-man rosters for each day of the Pro League and wager up to $500. Many say that the booters were doing the dirty deed because they were attempting to guarantee themselves a big payout. MLG and Vulcun spoke amongst themselves in private and came to some drastic decisions.
MLG announced that all matches played would be erased and team records would be reset and Vulcun stopped hosting fantasy contests for Call of Duty. All 12 teams in the league would start at 0-0 and play each of the other teams one time. The Season 3 Finals, usually attended by only the top 8 teams, would be open to all 12. Also, eSports Report would no longer be streaming the matches live (or announcing them ahead of time) and streaming of matches was left up to the player’s discretion.
Matches in the MLG Pro League are now pre-recorded and streamed at a later time. The schedule of matches shown is not even known until the day they are streamed, and sometimes they only involve 3 of the teams participating in the league! I personally have not had any interest in watching matches since the reset and I know that I am not alone.
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Are people losing interest in competitive Call of Duty solely because of the Pro League reset? It may be a combination of things in truth. Many fans and players have agreed that a ‘burnout’ effect is common in the eSport, especially since Ghosts and Advanced Warfare didn’t quite live up to expectations. Though Advanced Warfare was widely adored at the beginning of the game cycle, it has appeared to go downhill since the Call of Duty Championship. Is this something that happens every year? If so, it’s only a matter of time before people begin complaining about Black Ops 3.
However, not everyone is tired of Call of Duty (obviously). Though interest rises and falls over time, there are still many loyal fans and players in the eSport. Afterall, we wouldn’t be writing about it if no one cared! Some are still very in tune with the MLG Pro League and team’s performances in it. Of course, it helps when your team is winning.
There are several more events in store for Advanced Warfare before Black Ops 3 is released, and they could be very important for retaining interest in the game until November.
- This weekend is UMG DC and many top teams will be attending. It is the last UMG event of the year and features a $50,000 prize pool.
- Later in the month is the MLG Pro League Season 3 Finals played in Columbus, Ohio. All 12 teams will be in attendance to showcase the best matches Call of Duty has to offer. LAN is always different from online, so expect some upsets!
- The MLG World Finals in New Orleans will be in October! This is the year-end (or game cycle-end) event MLG is offering for the first time. The $250,000 prize pool makes it the second largest event of the year for Advanced Warfare.
