HOTFIX — Esports Championship Season + Paramount x COD | 09/03
This week in gaming and esports is packed with global finals, Hollywood headlines, and a major local milestone. From prestigious world-final esports events to Call of Duty taking a big leap into film, the industry is absolutely buzzing this week. Here in the Carolinas, UNC Charlotte is cutting the ribbon on its brand new Esports & Gaming Arena — a huge milestone for the institution and for local esports. Here’s what we’re covering today:
VALORANT Championships + The International 2025 + RLCS World’s
Paramount Strikes Deal with Call of Duty to Develop a Live Action Film
UNC Charlotte Esports Arena Grand Opening on September 4th
THIS WEEKS HONORABLE MENTIONS 🏆
As always, we can’t cover everything happening across the industry but we think you should be across the following so that you can stay up to date:
VALORANT CHAMPIONSHIPS + THE INTERNATIONAL 2025 + RLCS WORLD’S
It’s a massive week for esports with three premier competitive titles hitting their biggest stages. VALORANT Champions Paris 2025 kicks off September 12, The International 2025 in Hamburg is already underway, and the Rocket League Championship Series World Finals are headed to Lyon September 9th - 14th.
THE FIX 🎬
This is championship season and we’re excited to see the world’s absolute best descend upon their respective cities, compete for grand prizes and—ultimately—to be crowned a world champion.
Esports is entering into a maturing phase and we’re particularly curious to see in-person turnout for these events as well as online viewership. With the age of mega-sponsorship surely phased out, developers and organizers now have to analyze these beats more critically. That means our viewership and support is more critical now today that it ever has been.
If you support these games, teams, creators and/or players, be sure to tune in and make your presence known!
PARAMOUNT STRIKES DEAL WITH CALL OF DUTY TO DEVELOP A LIVE ACTION FILM
Activision has struck a deal with Paramount to develop a live-action Call of Duty movie, aiming to bring the franchise’s cinematic storytelling from consoles to theaters. With comparisons already being made to blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick, this adaptation could mark gaming’s next major Hollywood breakthrough.
THE FIX 🎬
These announcements always bring waves of opinions from the community on whether or not it’ll be worth the time and effort to make a movie, or if developers should focus more the primary media product; the game itself.
While this sentiment is absolutely warranted from the community, we are bullish on the idea that expanding into other media realms, if done correctly, can uplift a product to heights it would never reach otherwise. This is true for films that become games, and for games that become films.
Fallout is a great standard that we will hold many, if not all, film adaptations to going forward. If the developers at Activision take care of the established lore and craft an experience that both gamers and film-goers can enjoy, we think this will propel Call of Duty to an entirely new level.
UNC CHARLOTTE ESPORTS ARENA GRAND OPENING ON SEPT. 4TH
Closer to home, UNC Charlotte is officially hosting its Grand Opening Ceremony for its new Esports & Gaming Arena on September 4th in the Popp Martin Student Union. The facility is designed to give students a dedicated space to compete, practice, and connect — helping solidify UNC Charlotte’s presence in the growing collegiate esports industry.
THE FIX 🎬
We are excited to see another local collegiate institution make the leap and invest into esports with a solid foundation. UNC Charlotte, located in the largest city in North Carolina, is the perfect location for esports to thrive and is strategically a win for all prospective students and event organizers who may utilize the space one day as it is right in the heart of the Carolinas.
UNC Charlotte is following a steady blueprint that has been molded and sharpened by its many predecessors who launched a program + arena prior, and we are particularly excited to see how UNC Charlotte’s footprint will grow in the region now that the program is fully operational.
Congratulations to the university and those involved directly with esports on campus, this is a major milestone and we can’t wait to see what comes next!
