London held the only Call of Duty World League for 2019 outside the U.S. with a superb crowd

By Rich Edmonds
published

Free esports burritos. Yum.

The British show the world how a proper esports tournament is hoisted with an amazing, lively crowd and a production team who are able to bounce between gameplay and camera action to get the most out of the in-house experience.

There's a riot ... at Riot Games

More than 150 employees at video game developer and publisher Riot Games walked out of offices to band together and protest against sexism and forced arbitration, following Riot Games attempting to block multiple gender discrimination lawsuits. The aim of the walkout is to force Riot Games to retract the "motion for forced arbitration in active suits."

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It's both positive to see employees standing up against such practices, but also saddening that such walkouts are required for companies to operate in an acceptable manner with the workforce in mind.

Upcoming Chipotle PUBG tournament

American restaurant chain Chipotle isn't new to esports, but the company's upcoming PUBG challenger series is just around the corner, kicking things off on May 31. It's an interesting circuit for gamers since everyone who enters is technically a winner — free burrito cards are available for all participants.

The winning team will be rewarded with a VIP experience at DreamHack and free Chipotle for a whole year. The company teamed up with organizer DreamHack to host the PUBG tournament and with more mainstream brands looking to get involved with esports, we'll likely see more of this in the coming years.

Nothing beats a British crowd

London saw the only Call of Duty World League (CWL) even of the season outside of the U.S. being held in the city last weekend and a crowd from all parts of the country and beyond took full advantage. Loud chanting, cheers, and typical British humor were all on show. 100 Thieves took home the first title to be held in London.

While no UK team won the tournament on home soil, it's great to see such energy in the crowd. The organizers and casters interacted with attendees perfectly to facilitate such clips. If you've never been to a UK esports even before, you'll definitely want to book some tickets to experience this magic first-hand.

Upcoming live events

  • League of Legends MSI Invitational - May 10, watch on Twitch.
  • PUBG Chipotle Challenger Series - May 31 and June 2, watch on Twitch.
Rich Edmonds
Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.