Sources - CDL: Cloud9 to acquire New York Subliners

Cloud9 are about to open a new chapter in their history. According to sources close to Sheep Esports, the Californian organization is in the process of entering into a partnership with the New York Subliners Call of Duty team. This agreement symbolizes the return of the Blue Cloud to Activision's franchise: C9 had exited the Call of Duty scene in 2017 at the end of the Call of Duty Championship. Following the club's entry into Rainbow Six: Siege through a partnership with Beastcoast, Cloud9 are continuing their quest for growth in a favorable context.

The short-term objective is to enable Cloud9 to increase its presence at the Esports World Cup by participating in the Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 tournament, which has a cash prize of $1.8 million. Cloud9 has indeed strengthened its presence in the esports landscape, taking full advantage of the opportunity offered by the EWC, competing in 14 games (Valorant, Tekken, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Street Fighter 6, Starcraft 2, Rocket League, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, League of Legends, Halo, EA FC 24, Counter Strike 2, Rainbow Six: Siege, and Apex Legends).

In a second phase, a merger acquisition of NYXL, owned by Sterling VC (Sterling Equities), owner of the New York Mets in MLB, is expected to follow. Therefore, the Los Angeles-based team should remain in 2025 in the new Call of Duty League format, welcoming certain changes recently announced by Activision.

And it's not just anyone they're teaming up with. The New York Subliners made CDL history by winning the 2023 season final by a score of 5-0 over Toronto Ultra. Young Frenchman Paco "HyDra" Rusiewiez shone during the competition: MVP of the season, he became the first Frenchman to be crowned world champion. NYS currently occupy 4th place on the world leaderboard, despite a sluggish start to the season, which included an early elimination in the first round of the Boston Major finals and a 4th place finish at the Miami12 Major.