A major sponsor of both the Call of Duty League and Overwatch League has apparently ceased its involvement in each, with T-Mobile branding disappearing from both the CDL and OWL websites. This comes nearly a fortnight after California filed a lawsuit against Activision-Blizzard alleging widespread sexual harassment and a "frat boy workplace culture."
As spotted by Dexterto, T-Mobile branding has been quietly removed from the sponsors list on the Overwatch League website, though it appeared as recently as July 27. Likewise, T-Mobile branding has disappeared from the Call of Duty League website, though it appeared as recently as July 21. News of the lawsuit first emerged on July 22.
Elsewhere, the T-Mobile logo was removed from the jumpers of New York Subliners players during last week's Stage V Major Tournament. The shot below is from the official Call of Duty League broadcast dated July 30; the shot after is from the Stage IV Major Tournament broadcast on June 18.
I've reached out to representatives from T-Mobile and the Overwatch League, and will update if I hear back.
While T-Mobile's status isn't completely official, it wouldn't be surprising if the lawsuit and its ensuing revelations have prompted the US wireless network operator to sever its ties. Activision-Blizzard employees staged a walkout last Wednesday in response to the company's widely criticized initial response to the lawsuit. Members of the games industry and World of Warcraft players have expressed solidarity with Activision-Blizzard staff.
If you need catching up, here's everything that's happened since the Activision Blizzard lawsuit went public.
