Activision Blizzard closes GameBattles following the demise of OWL

As part of Activision Blizzard’s continued efforts to cut its esports division, the GameBattle platform will be shut down, ending 20 years of competitive gaming.

Days after the Overwatch League collapsed, Activision announced the closure of GameBattles, the competitive gaming network that served gamers globally for 20 years. The company gave the community notice on Monday that GameBattles will be shutting down in January, giving users a few more months to enjoy the platform.

Unfortunately, Activision Blizzard’s views on competitive gaming and esports have been on a downroad, and this statement about the closure just helps to confirm that trend. It was only revealed a short while ago that Blizzard will be “transitioning” out of the disastrous Overwatch League.

Though Call of Duty served as the foundation for GameBattles, other well-known games including Overwatch 2, World of Warcraft, Heroes of the Storm, and StarCraft II are also available on the site.  Many esports-related activities, including paid tournaments and free-to-access ladders, were made possible by the platform.

Activision brings an end a two-decade-long journey of GameBattle:

GameBattles was more than simply a platform for casual players; it has helped to organize some of the top esports competitions. For Activision Blizzard, GameBattles was primarily in charge of setting up several open circuit Tier Two and three tournaments in CDL Challengers, Warzone, Overwatch, and Call of Duty Mobile.

Because of its early success, Major League Gaming bought GameBattles in 2006. Later, Major League Gaming was acquired by Activision Blizzard in 2016 for around $50 million, and this transaction was directly tied to the purchase of GameBattles. Finally, Xbox now owns all of the properties after purchasing Activision. As more games became available with integrated Ranked Play capabilities, GameBattles and other platforms started to struggle. Eventually, the inevitable happened as Activision announced its closure.

GameBattles Community,

After careful consideration, we have decided to shut down the GameBattles platform and service as of January 15th, 2024.

If you have any questions about your account or the shutdown, please visit our support site: https://t.co/M5YzDe4CWy

— GameBattles (@GameBattles) November 13, 2023

 

Regretfully, the MLG brand has no operating branches anymore as a result of GameBattles’ demise, suggesting that it too may close shortly. Call of Duty enthusiasts and professional gamers from all around the world took to social media to express their sadness about GameBattles’ imminent demise, remembering the good old days when they could utilize the site to place an online bet against random people.

Adding further context to the situation, well-known scene mainstay “MLG_Chris” stated that Activision Blizzard made this choice directly. Several interested parties, including Adam Apicella, the creator of Esports Engine and the former CEO of MLG, have openly made proposals to save the brand. It is unclear, though, if Activision Blizzard would be interested in selling the IP.

Header: Call of Duty League