Michael ‘shroud‘ Grzesiek has said that the Call of Duty esports scene lacks depth and should be one of the biggest esports titles in the world.
The content creator and former professional Counter-Strike player critiqued Call of Duty’s competitive scene during a recent stream.
On August 20th, 2025, Shroud stated on his stream that Call of Duty lacks the depth required to increase its popularity as an esports title. This includes mentioning that players competing in the Call of Duty League (CDL) and Challengers sticking to tried-and-tested mechanics that result in gameplay looking undistinctive.
Shroud also suggested that the repetitive nature of Call of Duty has seen the top players reach such a high skill level that it has become impossible to spot the strengths and weaknesses of players competing in tournaments.
“Call of Duty on paper, should be one of the biggest esports in the world. The main reason it’s not, is because the game lacks depth. You just hold Mouse 1 and dropshot sometimes,” said the streamer.
“You can’t tell the difference between player A and player B, and if you can’t tell the difference, your game doesn’t have enough depth to be a competitive esport.”
The response to Shroud’s comments has been mixed, with many CDL players and personalities disagreeing with his view.
OpTic Texas Analyst JohnPaul ‘JPKrez’ Krez, stated: “I do think with a trained eye, you can see the depth and see the differences between player A and player B.”
Former Toronto Ultra player Ben ‘Beans’ McMellon, added: “None of these are CoD’s real problems, though. CoD just isn’t built for competitive and never will be, unlike other games like CS and LoL (League of Legends).”
Does Call of Duty Esports Lack Depth?
Compared to other esports titles that have hundreds of viable champions and an extensive arsenal of weaponry, Call of Duty esports is lacking depth due to the restrictions preventing innovative strategies from impacting gameplay.
However, it is possible to identify the roles and nuances of players competing at the highest level.
The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has the potential to increase depth further, with new movement mechanics and a fresh weapon arsenal that could see an expanded competitive meta.
