Cloud9 confirmed its return to competitive Call of Duty today after roughly seven years away, bringing not one but two rosters under the established blue brand.
The organization followed through with the reported signing of the reigning Call of Duty League world champion roster core of the New York Subliners, consisting of HyDra, KiSMET, Skyz, and Sib. It’s unclear, though, whether this is a partnership between the C9 organization and the Subliners roster or an acquisition from the NYXL group.
Just hours before this announcement, C9 officially returned to Call of Duty with the signing of a three-man Warzone roster consisting of Breadman, ForeignJase, and JoeWo. Breadman and JoeWo have been competing together since the start of 2023, with ForeignJase joining the duo earlier this year. The trio finished top 10 in the North America Finals of the World Series of Warzone earlier this month.
The signing of both rosters lines up with the impending start of the lucrative and equally divisive Esports World Cup event in Saudi Arabia. Both Warzone and Modern Warfare 3 are featured competitive titles, and C9 is one of 30 organizations supported by the EWC Foundation’s club program that provides “six-figure funding to enter into new esports titles at the highest level” to its members.
Following the EWC, both rosters will have major championship events to look forward to later in the summer. The “Cloud Niners,” as the C9 organization suggested for a name on Twitter/X, are currently fourth in the CDL Points standings and will try to defend their title at CoD Champs 2024. Meanwhile, the Warzone roster has already qualified for the World Series of Warzone Global Finals in August.
