Deviance x Notorious is here to take Call of Duty Challengers by storm
Call of Duty organisations Team Notorious and Deviance Gaming are launching a joint-effort to provide opportunities to players in the 2024 season.
Both teams came into Call of Duty Challengers in 2023. Team Notorious took their roster all the way to a 2nd-place finish at the World Championship event in Las Vegas.
Team Notorious had originally planned to exit the Call of Duty because of diminishing returns and difficulty in securing return on investment.
"When Team Notorious came into Call of Duty, it was an uncalculated risk on a team of players they didnt know. It was a Cinderella story truly of a season," Team Notorious majority owner Jared Milk said.
"An incredible year turned to a difficult off season. The ROI is not all there compared to the amount of risk taken. With a love for the European scene, expenses rise drastically. We truly went through all avenues in order to try and justify staying in the scene for another season."
The new merger between Deviance Gaming and Team Notorious will leave the team going by the name of Deviance x Notorious for the 2024 season.
“The objective of this merger goes beyond the typical pursuit of championship titles; instead, it is a calculated move aimed at navigating the challenges posed by the current Esports landscape," Deviance Gaming President Austin Will said.
"The inherent expenditures associated with maintaining a high-performing Challengers roster have often proved to be a financial burden for organizations."
Looking for financial stability
Teams in Challengers always struggle financially. Relying on each other to help ease the burden will make it easier for these two orgs to field a team all year.
"One of the notable challenges faced by Esports organizations is the constant need for financial sustainability," Will continued. "Fluctuations in the industry, coupled with the demands of maintaining top-tier rosters, can create a precarious financial environment.
"However, by merging our strengths, we plan to creatively navigate these challenges, ensuring a long-term, sustainable presence in an environment where success is hard-earned. We could not be more excited to work with Team Notorious to reach new levels.”
Both of these teams have weirdly paralleled journeys up to this point. They both started with effectively pick-up teams and both of those pick up teams had Chris "Parasite" Duarte on them. Team Notorious had Parasite fill in at Raleigh when Liam "Furiious" Osborne couldn't make it to the event.
Then Parasite and now Miami Heretics player Javi "Vikul" Milagro then teamed up to form another Spanglish team in Texas. That event was, coincidentally, eventually won by Team Notorious.
These two teams have now come together to help field an, as-of-yet unannounced, European roster. This continues both of their goals of furthering opportunities for European Call of Duty players, despite both being American-based.
They will both continue to run their own social channels but will combine on every other aspect of the organization.