Players on the Minnesota ROKKR esports team feel confident that they will return home from the Call of Duty League Championship in Los Angeles, Calif., with a $1.2 million top prize.
ROKKR COO Brett Diamond joined WCCO’s Cory Hepola Thursday shortly before the video game-playing team was set to face off against Dallas at 2 p.m. in a season-ending playoff tournament.
“We’re excited to get back to live events,” said Diamond, who previously worked for the Minnesota Vikings. It’s the third in-person event the team has participated in since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.
While the pandemic kept players from in-person competition, it did help e-sports grow overall. Hepola mentioned that a partnership with Google Cloud that allows stats to be streamed in real time has also made it easier for fans to get into e-sports.
“There was certainly new interest, new eyeballs,” especially when traditional sports couldn’t be played Diamond explained. He hopes that those new players will continue to participate.
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“I don’t view it much differently than when I worked for the Vikings or NFL,” said Diamond of working for ROKKR. The goal is still to create an environment where a wide audience can have fun.
According to Fox 9, ROKKR had a “miraculous comeback” and won the Stage V Championship before heading to the league championship. The team has put out a documentary about the win.
“The players are confident, everybody feels good,” said Diamond going into the Call of Duty Warzone game against Dallas. “Like any other sports team, we’re here to win.”
Viewers can catch the tournament on the Call of Duty League YouTube Channel. In the Minneapolis area, people can celebrate ROKKR with the new “Final Circle” beer created in partnership with Waconia Brewing Company.
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