Meet Johanna Faries, the Woman Who Makes the Call of Duty and Overwatch Leagues Tick

Meet Johanna Faries, the Woman Who Makes the Call of Duty and Overwatch Leagues Tick

The Woman Who Makes the Call of Duty and Overwatch Leagues Tick

Behind the Brand with Johanna Faries

By Bryan Elliott @BRYANELLIOTT

Last year Johanna Faries, the former commissioner of the Call of Duty League accepted a new title. Activision Blizzard made her the Head of Leagues, presiding over not only Call of Duty League (CDL) but also Overwatch, and with the expansion of online gaming leagues it has become clear that eSports are giving conventional pro sports a run for their money.

How could video game leagues actually threaten pro leagues like the MLB and NFL? While there may be a societal stereotype around video games, nerds and gamers, the bottom line is the gaming community is massive and has a huge profit margin. Since Call of Duty came onto the gaming scene in late 2003 it has generated more revenue than the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe and double the box office revenue of Star Wars. In other words, it's big business. 

Back in 2018, the game went from being a household name for gamers to envisioning an entirely new league (Call of Duty World League existed prior), Call of Duty League, where city-based teams compete in tournaments and fans can watch online. eSports leagues have become