The Call of Duty League has always had a rather disconnected relationship with its players, often resulting in a lot of tension between developers and competitors alike. Whether it be dev support through maps, weapons, and general bugs, the players have seldom had their prayers answered by the league, and now, ahead of the World Championships, over 1,700 Challengers players' voices are going unheard.

Ahead of the Challengers World Championships - the second tier of competitive Call of Duty - a wealth of players have shown their dismay at the massively stripped-back format which only hosts eight teams worldwide.

Dubbed as the "hub of future Call of Duty players", the Challengers scene plays host to over 200 teams across the world, with most of the upcoming talent marooned to North America. However, with just two NA slots available at the championships, over 2,000 players have now signed a petition to have the format changed - although it's fallen on deaf ears.

Censor Pioneers A Petition To Change CDL Challengers Format Change

The Challengers scene is typically a moshpit of the upcoming talent, pitting players against each other in a gauntlet bracket to up the ante and roll back the years of the pre-franchised Call of Duty esports competition. However, with only eight teams qualifying for the event, veterans of the scene such as Doug "Censor" Martin have expressed their frustration.

Previously, the Toronto Open saw the best Challengers rosters go head-to-head in the 64-team bracket where every team in the top eight came from North America. With this in mind, Challengers players now believe that teams in minor regions, or even Europe where their best two teams finished joint-ninth in Toronto, are being given a free pass to Champs.

Following the questionable format, Censor has rallied over 2,000 signatures to have the format changed to hold more teams, revitalising the signature Call of Duty esports feel and giving the competition as much integrity as possible. 

In a now-deleted tweet, Censor added that during the Minnesota Open, Toronto Ultra Academy NA won the even despite being 12th seed, which now wouldn't be possible in a miniature eight-man format. 

"Having a total of 8 teams competing at a challenger championship, a division that is meant to showcase the best talent around the world that are NOT in the pro league, is extremely detrimental to the future of the product of our league. We believe that there should be a major format change and this decision needs to be reconsidered," reads the petition. 

Challengers Players Furious At CDL Representatives Ignoring Petition

Having gained over 2,000 signatures and gathering attention from personalities such as three-time world champion James "Clayster" Eubanks - who himself will be competing in Challengers after being removed from the New York Subliners roster - the Call of Duty League has not addressed the situation.

According to Censor's social media, the only input given from the CDL was to block any relocations, as NA players attempted to flock to South America and Europe to win their respective regional qualifiers and therefore qualify for the championships. 

In an interview with Jake Lucky, Censor also added, "Activision is basically telling the scene that there's nothing to play for. These Challenger players are playing for nothing."

The format has been slammed for closing the door on any upcoming talents who have been competing all year round for a chance to appear under the spotlights in Challengers, even resulting in some promising stars quitting the game after a lack of earnings; restricting the prize pool to just eight teams has also had a drastic effect on these young players' careers.

It's yet to be seen as to whether the Call of Duty League intends to respond at all, although, with the Boston Open just around the corner, any adaptations will need to be made sooner, rather than later.