It’s been a momentous few years for the New York Subliners Call of Duty team, what with their recent top two finish and move to Cloud9.
Last weekend, the Subliners finished as runners-up behind Optic Texas at the Call of Duty (CoD) League Championship 2024 Weekend, taking home $480,000.
It was almost back-to-back wins for them, given they won the 2023 Championship in Las Vegas.
And last month, they finished top in the CoD League 2024 Stage 4 Major in Burbank, picking up $150,000 and 100 CDL Points.
Now, they’ve been acquired by Cloud9 in time for the Call of Duty Esports World Cup 2024, in what is turning out to be a whirlwind year for them.
This means the Subliners roster – NA players KiSMET, Sib, Skyz and French player HyDra, led by UK coach DREAL and US coach Sender and performance coach Matt Fisher of Canada – will now represent C9.
The New York Subliners X account thanked fans and reflected on their achievements so far, with the C9 account adding: “This isn’t the end, just a new beginning.”
In other UK news in CoD, Toronto Ultra finished third in the 2024 Champs, with UK player Insight and UK coaches Flux and Joee.
There are also UK staff on LA Guerrillas (Arian and Cheek) and the LA Thieves (player Nastie and coach ShAnE).
New York Subliners UK coach DREAL thanks team as Subliners say goodbye
UK coach Ehsan ‘DREAL’ Javed thanked his team and said (regarding the CDL Champs second place finish): “It’s heartbreaking, but I’m proud of the growth throughout the process and season. It’s been tough but to win a Major and nearly go back-to-back, is nothing to discredit. We look forward as much as we can!
“Huge thank you and appreciation to both [fellow coaches] Sender and Matt Fisher. It’s been a bloody privilege being your brother for the year. We’ve been through war together, and learnt and grown so much. I couldn’t ask for more.”
On the Subliners brand being acquired by C9, DREAL added: “Finally a bit of a sentimental one, a huge thank you to everyone at Subliners. This was my first ever opportunity and I’m indebted to you Farzam Kamel for your unwavering belief, trust and love.
“It’s sad we couldn’t end the legacy with a chip. Sad it’s going away.”
DREAL, New York Subliners
“It was really emotional [watching the video above]. New York was my home. Getting to know everyone over the years like family. The brand, the city, the people.
“I’m proud and privileged to be a part of their journey. It honestly sucks.
“Don’t be sad that it’s gone, rather happy that it happened. Memories and learnings to last a lifetime. Deep down, thank you NYXL.”
DREAL also spoke more recently in this podcast with British Esports, and also has more in his DREAL journal website.
Co-founder on New York Subliners being acquired by C9: ‘We’re closing a chapter to focus on a new one, but it’s hard to let go’
Farzam Kamel, President and Co-Founder of the Subliners parent company NYXL, thanked various members of the team, and said: “Crazy to think we’ve been building teams for seven years now at NYXL, with five years in CoD. We’re closing that chapter at NYXL to focus on a new one.
“It’s hard to let go. Our hearts have been in this every step of the way. We wanted to make an impact on the scene, that’s been the attitude from day one. We have so much to be proud of… from league majors to watch parties, tournaments and merch pop-ups, we did it all in New York. This place is magical, it’s community is strong, and one way or another it’ll be an esports powerhouse as the industry grows. Just too much potential for it not to.
“Love it or hate it, Subliners has been a brand. It lived and breathed across every touchpoint we had with fans. We always prioritized that. Can’t say enough about what the NYXL team has done on that front. No one has done it like we have.
“As a team, we’ve always been in it to win, that much should be clear from S1 to S5. To do that we knew we needed a culture shift from player-led to coaching-led systems.”
Farzam Kamel, NYXL
“That was a hard challenge… very hard. Some painful years before coaches could get the experience, and invest in the foundations needed to get player buy-in. We did that as much as I could have hoped, and I think for the betterment of CoD esports. Couldn’t be prouder of the team.
“What’s next? We’re not going away, we built Subliners Battlepass as an experiment for our fans, trying hard to elevate their experience. We had an amazing response, and are immensely grateful for it. We’re now focused on rolling that product out far and wide across partner teams, improving and evolving it as we go.
“Will we ever return to esports directly again? Never say never…”
The roster is now set to compete at the CoD Esports World Cup 2024, which runs from August 15th to 18th in Saudi Arabia.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
