Call of Duty League was Twitter’s most-discussed 2021 FPS esport despite CoD’s issues

Despite a number of concerns over Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War and Vanguard, Twitter revealed that the CDL was still the most talked-about FPS in 2021.

It’s no secret that CoD has been in a weird state these past couple of years and that those issues have filtered into the Call of Duty League. Black Ops Cold War’s balancing was questioned by players, Vanguard’s interest has plummeted, and community icons like Nadeshot have consequently torn Activision’s handling of the games and CDL apart.

Despite all that turmoil, one fact apparently remains: CoD Twitter is still undefeated.

In Twitter’s insights blog, the platform reviewed all “Gaming” conversations held during 2021. As it turns out, CoD’s demise may have been greatly exaggerated – with the CDL reigning supreme as the most-discussed shooter esport all year.

Call of Duty League: Most-discussed FPS esport in 2021

As far as methodology, the Twitter report seems to primarily consider inclusion in conversations. With that said, the CDL sitting as the second-most-discussed esport in 2021 is impressive—even if League of Legends is split across different accounts.

While the CDL seemed to be the most-discussed first-person shooter, it’s also worth noting that its video views lagged behind the Valorant Champion Tour (which was 2nd for views, while CDL was 3rd). 

• Read more: CoD Mobile taking over the CDL in 2022 isn’t actually a far-fetched idea

Explaining this data, CoD fans seem to believe that the reason engagement was so high was simply because of negative feedback.

CoD fans not inspired by CDL engagement numbers

A number of replies to the news follow a similar logic, noting that the discussion of the league was likely negative. That’s a reasonable explanation, as an esport’s engagement could be inflated by people complaining about it.

Regardless, you don’t talk about something unless you’re somewhat passionate about it. Call of Duty may be in an unideal state and Activision may be in the crosshairs, but it’s clear that of people cared about CoD esports in 2021.