S&C client c0ntact gaming completed its acquisition of the Paris franchise of the newly created Call of Duty League from affiliates of Activision Blizzard, Inc. on May 2. A new global professional esports league with city-based teams, the Call of Duty League is owned and operated by Activision Blizzard and was launched after the conclusion of the first season of Activision Blizzard’s The Overwatch League, which was the first global city-based esports league. The Overwatch League has already achieved success in its early stages, and Activision Blizzard has said that it hopes to build the same support for Call of Duty. Call of Duty franchises now exist in five cities around the world, including Atlanta, Dallas, New York City, Toronto and Paris.
S&C corporate partners represented c0ntact gaming in the acquisition. Paris-based corporate partners Olivier de Vilmorin and Nicolas de Boynes provided French corporate and tax advice. Partner Isaac Wheeler provided U.S. tax advice. Partner Mehdi Ansari advised on IP matters.
Activision Blizzard has said that the newly-formed Call of Duty League will continue to expand, with additional owners and markets to be announced later this year.