James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks is one of the most instantly recognisable competitors in the Call of Duty esports space. With far more than a decade of active competition under his belt, as well as countless chips and three world championships, he’s one of the most storied players to still be playing the game. At 31 years of age, he’s the oldest competitor in COD esports today, and despite still being able to hold his own, he has actively started questioning his ability to put up with the politics and off-season management of the industry.
In a recent stream, Clayster opened up to some of his peers, expressing his thoughts about the year ahead. At present, there’s no start date for the 2024 Call of Duty League season, but there are expectations that it will begin in December or January. At the moment, Clayster is yet to sign with a team for the next season, but the likes of the Carolina Royal Ravens, LA Guerrillas, and Vegas Legion are all yet to fill out their rosters.
Could This Be Clayster’s Last Season
Image Credit: COD League
It’s a sad fact, but the ‘legends’ that we grew up with are all departing the game. Most of them are pivoting to a content creation career, which is something that has worked very well for the likes of Scump, Methodz, and Crimsix. With his enormous following, Clayster would take to content creation like a duck to water, and he has shown that he has the chops for streaming various games – which he has done at length over the last couple of years.
Here’s what Clayster said in a recent stream:
‘This might be the last run. I haven’t really talked about it much because I don’t like making certanties in life. But, most likely this is going to be it. I’m not leaning in that direction, but unless I stay on a team during the off-season and I don’t have to do Rostermania again, I’m down. But if the team I’m on, if I get cut or if they don’t resign me or whatever, I’m not doing it again bro. I love playing, I love competing, I love grinding every day, but I am so over off-season bullshit, bro. I’m so over the off-season shit, man.’
He stressed that he doesn’t mind the active competition and playing the game, it’s all the management outside of it that’s getting under his skin. He referenced that everything between Champs and the season start is ‘miserable’ and that he’s ‘so over it’.
Here’s the clip:
What’s Wrong With The COD Off-Season?
For the most part, even the best Call of Duty players in the world get into a rut when the off-season kicks off. Since the last season ended, it has been five months – and there’s no sign of that gap ending very soon. Aside from the World Series of Warzone, which targets an entirely different market, there are no competitions for these players to compete in. They can set up their own small tournaments, scrim, or simply play multiplayer, but it is not the same vibe.
Not only that, but during the off-season, ‘rostermania’ takes place, as Clayster outlined. It’s often a zoo, with players fighting and hoping that they’ll secure a contract with one of the twelve teams operating in the Call of Duty League. It’s an intense time for the competitors because they’re fighting to earn a living at that point, and it’s usually this period that reduces some competitors to nervous wrecks.
If Clayster doesn’t land a team ahead of the season start, then his last season has already been played. If he secures a team but is benched, dropped, or fails to be resigned next year, then this coming season will be his last, and the Call of Duty esports scene will lose an absolute legend.
Related: The Future of COD, By a COD Creator
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