North American esports and gaming company Misfits Gaming Group has announced a partnership with Spanish esports organisation Team Heretics for the Call of Duty League (CDL).
The partnership will see Misfits’ Florida Mutineers Call of Duty League franchise be rebranded to the Miami Heretics. Moreover, Team Heretics will become an equity partner in the franchise, with Mutineers’ branding being retired.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that the two organisations have struck a deal for a team in a franchised league. In 2022, Misfits sold a majority stake in its League of Legends team that competed in the LEC to Heretics. Also interesting is that this is not the first time Team Heretics is making moves in Call of Duty. The organisation competed in several Call of Duty editions between 2016 and 2019, participating in the Call of Duty World League.
The two brands said that the new partnership for the CDL is a continuation of good relations, and a testament ‘to the strong bond between the two organisations’. The newly-rebranded Miami Heretics will also focus on both the Spanish and English markets, broadening the organisation’s reach. This means that Miami Heretics will create content in both languages.
Heretics will be in charge of content and marketing for the new organisations, meanwhile, Misfits Gaming Group will run day-to-day operations and commercialisation. Both brands will work together on broad strategy and business direction.
The Mutineers saw moderate success during its time in the CDL, placing mid-table at several CDL Majors and winning several smaller CDL tournaments in 2020.
Co-Founder and CEO of Team Heretics, Arnau Vidal, commented on the news: “We are extremely excited to start this adventure with MGG and join the CDL. Heretics was born with Call of Duty and this move means so much to us and our fans. We cannot wait to bring the Spanish passion again into the league.”
The partnership comes shortly after Misfits unveiled a rebrand, angling itself more towards creators than esports.
