Call of Duty League season 2023 announced, new roster rules revelaed

Following the conclusion of the 2022 Call of Duty League season, which saw LA Thieves claim the Champions title, Activision unveiled the dates for the upcoming 2023 CDL season along with the new roster construction rules. 

While the 2022 Call of Duty league season officially ends on August 21, the 2023 Call of Duty year starts as soon as 12 AM PDT on August 22. According to Activision’s official statement, the date was set to provide players without league contracts with the “flexibility to sign with any team in the League.”

New season, new rules 

The new CDL roster construction rules are aimed at “fostering competitive balance” within the league and providing players with increased regular competitive opportunities. Furthermore, the developer seeks to promote player development and to “incentivize investments in player development within the competitive Call of Duty ecosystem”. 

When the new season starts on August 22, free agents may sign new contracts with any teams within CDL and teams can start submitting player contracts and player trades for the 2023 season for a review by the League Office. All long-term contracts will have to be signed at least for one season and may include the option to extend the term for a maximum of three seasons. 

Teams can also sign players to 14-day contracts, however, one player can sign with a single team only twice during the 2023 CDL season. If a player already signed two 14-day contracts with a team, their third contract would have to be a full-season player contract for the remainder of the 2023 season. The 14-day contracts cannot be extended. 

Player protection rules 

Activision’s rule for the 2023 CDL season set the minimum annualized base salary for all players to $55,225 per year, including health care and retirement benefits. This is an increase from 2021’s minimum base salary of $50,900, however, most CDL players allegedly earn way more than that. Moreover, teams are required to distribute at least 50% of their prize pool earnings directly to players.

Players with non-guaranteed contracts will also get protection in the form of a mandatory buyout fee in case of a player’s release from the team. According to this rule, if the non-guaranteed player is released at least 60 days before the end of the term, the minimum buyout fee for the player would be equal to 60 days of salary as well as any earned bonuses and prizes.

Furthermore, each CDL player may become a “two-way” player, which means they can compete in both CDL and  Challengers competitions. While there is no limit to the number of two-way players in the team, Challengers rosters can have only two two-way players competing together at the same time in a Challengers match. Moreover, after playing a CDL match, two-way players can’t compete in Challengers matches sooner than 7 days after appearing in their last official CDL match. Teams also must notice the League Office before any two-way player participates in a Challengers match.

While the actual start date of the 2023 Call of Duty League remains to be revealed, there are rumors that it could be sooner than the start of previous seasons. Meanwhile, the highly-anticipated Modern Warfare 2 is set for release on October 28.

Header: Call of Duty League