Challenger Adds Call of Duty: Warzone to Its Lineup, Becoming the First Platform to Offer Peer-to-Peer, Cash-Based Competition in Battle Royale Gaming

SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Challenger, a platform providing a new entertaining way for online gamers of all skill levels to compete with real money against other players on their favorite video games, is pleased to announce the launch of its Call of Duty: Warzone offering, making the company the first esports solution to enable gamers to compete in peer-to-peer cash contests in battle royale gaming. With the addition of Call of Duty: Warzone to Challenger’s lineup, the company amplifies and accelerates its mission to provide an accessible solution for casual gamers (18+ or 21+ where applicable) of all skill sets and experience levels to add cash-based incentives to their favorite online games and enhance friendly competition amongst the gaming community.

“Battle royale competition is the most popular game mode of the moment,” said Chris Slovak, CEO of Challenger. “Before today, there wasn’t a simple, on-demand option for everyday gamers to participate in peer-to-peer cash contests for battle royale matches outside of big, scheduled tournaments — most of which are still invite-only. Now, with our addition of Call of Duty: Warzone to Challenger’s offering, this elevated experience is no longer only accessible to elite gamers. Starting today, any gamer who wants to put their money on the line in a competitive kill race can do so easily.”

With this release, Challenger is also introducing the first-ever cross-lobby gameplay option, which allows gamers to compete for cash against each other and compete in the same game mode and settings but with different start times. Currently, cross-lobby play will be the only option for Call of Duty: Warzone.

“We’re very excited about introducing cross-lobby options to the industry,” said Chris Andres, COO of Challenger. “Asynchronous gameplay creates a more fair opportunity for each player to win, while empowering them with much more control over the ‘when’ and ‘how’ of their gaming experience. We feel that the combination of cross-lobby gameplay in battle royale cash contests can offer a huge boost for any/all gamers to compete with higher stakes and elevated energy. Many of these gamers, collectively, have already logged hundreds of thousands of hours within their favorite games, and we are excited to give them the option to level up the excitement, competition, and outcomes for them and their audiences.”

Users with Call of Duty: Warzone already installed on their PC (free to download at www.callofduty.com/warzone/download) can participate in Challenger’s battle royale cash competitions by downloading the Challenger app and creating a free account. Users would then select Call of Duty: Warzone, pick their gameplay format, choose kill race, set the kill limit and the dollar amount they want to place before letting the battle begin! Initial registration will be limited to the first 500 Call of Duty: Warzone Challengers until Warzone 2 is released on the platform mid-Q4 of this year, and all initial registrants will be awarded bonus Challenger points just for participating in this rollout.

To date, Challenger supports Counterstrike: Global Offensive and Call of Duty: Warzone games.

ABOUT CHALLENGER

Challenger is an entertaining online platform that provides a new way for casual gamers to put their money on the line against others when playing their favorite video games. The company has created a frictionless, peer-to-peer system that allows all players to infuse a new competitive edge into their gaming experience by adding cash incentives to their existing gameplay patterns — without radically changing how/when they play or compete. Challenger is the first platform to make esports accessible for the average gamer while establishing a secure, trusted environment for any/all players to compete for real money. Unlike other tournament platforms, Challenger doesn’t require 1v1 or scheduled play. Once users join the platform, they set all of the terms: they choose the game, the gameplay format, and the dollar amount they want to place on the line as the Challenger system finds them a suitable opponent. Once the cash-backed matchup begins, Challenger’s patented AI technology tracks scores and distributes money (in the form of credits) between players in real-time based on the agreed upon bet. Users then decide whether to play them, store them, or withdraw them as cash. To learn more visit: https://www.playchallenger.com/