Call of Duty esports draws on NFL knowledge with Johanna Faries hire

Faries worked at the NFL for 11 years. She served as the vice president of marketing strategy and fan development from 2013 to June. After that, she was the vice president of club business development. According to Acitvision Blizzard, she worked on numerous diversity, inclusion, and mentorship programs while at the league. She also helped the NFL partner with the Hispanic Leaders Alliance. Faries will work out of Activision Blizzard’s headquarters in Santa Monica, California. In her new role, she “will oversee strategic leadership, business operations, and product development for the Call of Duty World League.”
Market researcher Newzoo expects the esports market to generate $1.7 billion in 2021. Call of Duty: World League is the official esports organization for Activision Blizzard’s massive shooter franchise, which releases a new entry every year (which is then consistently that year’s top selling game in the U.S.). In terms of total earnings from prizes, Call of Duty: WWII (last year’s entry in the series) is the No. 8 ranked esports game., according to E-sports Earnings.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 just came out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 12. It will be the focus of Call of Duty’s future esports action, including the CWL Las Vegas Open that starts on December 7. That event will have a $6 million prize purse, the largest in the league’s history.
“The addition of Johanna to our leadership team demonstrates our commitment to maintaining a world class organization with the objective of further expanding our shared vision in esports,” said Pete Vlastelica, president and chief executive officer of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues, in a press release sent to GamesBeat. “Johanna has a proven track record throughout her tenure with the NFL of leading key business initiatives and driving fan engagement. She is a great addition to our organization and I look forward to working with her in her new role.”