Activision Blizzard’s operation of the Name of Responsibility League is now the topic of a lawsuit introduced by two professional gamers who allege the esports league is an unlawful monopoly, one that forestalls competitors and forces gamers and groups to comply with “extortionate” monetary phrases.
The 2 gamers are identified names in skilled Name of Responsibility circles. Optic Gaming president Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez and professional participant Seth “Scump” Abner, the second winningest participant within the sport’s historical past, are looking for $680 million in damages from Activision Blizzard. The lawsuit alleges Rodriguez, who ran the Optic Gaming Name of Responsibility staff for years, was successfully pressured right into a “financially devastating” partnership with billionaire buyers as a way to fulfill Activision’s calls for and acquire one of many Name of Responsibility League’s coveted 12 staff spots.
As famous by the lawsuit just lately filed in federal court docket, previous to the formation of the Activision-owned Name of Responsibility League in 2019, aggressive Name of Responsibility tournaments had been operated by a number of organizations, together with GameStop and Main League Gaming. That modified when Activision itself acquired Main League Gaming and later shaped the Name of Responsibility League, successfully shutting down all different skilled Name of Responsibility esport leagues and tournaments aside from those operated by Activision itself.
