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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that essentially shut down the world in 2020, Activision Blizzard took the initiative to extend a helping hand to Overwatch and Call of Duty teams.
The help came in the form of deferred payments, as teams were allowed to compete for two years without making their franchise payments.
However, recent reports have revealed that the organization is owed somewhere around US$400 million – possibly as much as $420 million – from participating Overwatch League and CoD League teams.
The payments due for the CDL teams would have been more, but some teams paid $2.5 million each at the start of the season before the deferred payments were approved. Now, each of the teams reportedly owes an average of $22.5 million each.
The report also revealed that each of the 20 franchises in the Overwatch league owes some money, ranging from $6 to $7.5 million.
While the initial debt was expected, there is a chance that the allowance might extend to 2024. The payments were deferred to fall 2022, but it seems like teams do not yet have the means to pay.
It has been revealed that a former Activision head of esports, Brandon Snow, reportedly proposed that the outstanding balances be cleared. However, the executive has left the organization, and there is no further talk of that.
Regardless, action is ongoing in Season 5 of the Overwatch League. In the West, San Francisco Shock have been perfect, winning all five of their games so far. Seoul Dynasty are topping the East standings with a 4-1 record.
Meanwhile, the CoD Stage 3 Qualifiers is coming to an end, as teams anticipate the Stage 3 Major scheduled to commence on June 2. Before the start of Stage 3, 16 teams participated in the Mid-Season Pro-Am Classic for a piece of the $250,000 prize fund.
The New York Subliners finished the tournament as the ultimate champions after defeating the Los Angeles Thieves 3-1 in the best-of-five grand final.
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