NYXL – the parent company of the New York Subliners – has just revealed that the NYSL brand is closing down. This news comes mere weeks after the announcement that the Subliners and Cloud9 had partnered ahead of the Esports World Cup. It wasn’t made clear how this new partnership would impact the CDL team’s branding, but now the epic change has been unveiled – the New York Subliners (by brand, at least) are no more.
End of the Line
The New York Subliners have been a hugely impactful force in the Call of Duty League for years. From being an underdog squad in the Cold War season to dominating an entire year of gameplay and winning COD Champs in 2023, the squad has come up fast. For the longest time, fans have followed the ins and outs of this team, learning transparently what goes on behind the doors of the Subliners.
It was announced today that the New York Subliners is being shut down from a branding perspective. Here’s the message (and the emotional montage) that was posted online:
Cloud9 responded to this post by stressing: ‘This isn’t the end, just a new beginning’. It’s a direct indication that C9 will make a grand re-entry to the Call of Duty scene next season. It was always a guaranteed thing that the Subliners squad would represent C9’s brand at the Esports World Cup, but nobody thought that the CDL-focused brand would dissipate.
Days ago, the New York Subliners came in second place at COD Champs, with OpTic Texas securing a massive win – the organisation’s first world championship victory since 2017.
I’ve since reached out to sources close to the Subliners to see if there’s more information about what’s coming next.
Are you sad to see the back of the Subliners, or excited about what might come from C9 during the 2025 CDL season?
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