The Minnesota RØKKR will not host a Major during the upcoming Modern Warfare 2 Call of Duty League season, the organization announced today. But the franchise hopes to invite fans to watch online qualifier matches.
The Minnesota Major was the second official tournament of the Vanguard season in the third year of the Call of Duty League. Hosted in a casino, the event had a tournament for Challengers players to compete in and an unforgettable custom trophy of a Viking shield. While the event was a massive success, RØKKR COO Brett Diamond confirmed today that the team won’t be hosting another Major for the upcoming season.
“We will not be hosting a major this season, but we really want to find situations where we can bring in a couple of teams and have a live event with a smaller crowd than a major, but to create that live event experience beyond what’s been traditionally been done with the CDL,” Diamond said in the Minnesota RØKKR press conference today.
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Instead of hosting a Major, Diamond said the team will attempt to host online qualifier matches that fans would be invited to. Where these events would take place or how many people would be able to attend is left to be decided.
The Call of Duty League has overcome working around restrictions involving the global pandemic to make LAN tournaments possible. But the qualifiers for the Majors are expected to still be hosted online, which is what the RØKKR will attempt to capitalize on. Last year, there were four Majors hosted by CDL teams, including OpTic Texas, New York Subliners, and Toronto Ultra. There is no set guidelines for when a team will host a Major but it seems like Activision is trying to spread out the locations from year to year.
Minnesota also introduced its starting lineup heading into the 2023 season today, which features Attach, Bance, Cammy, and Afro.