Call Of Duty Black Ops 6 Release Day: The History Of Call Of Duty Trading Cards
On October 29, 2003, the first-ever Call of Duty was released, and it has since become one of the biggest annual releases in the gaming industry.
This year’s release marks the sixth installment of the Black Ops series as we head into the sixth season of the Call of Duty League.
Top 6 things going on right now:
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) October 25, 2024
1️⃣ #BlackOps6 is LIVE
2️⃣ #BlackOps6 is LIVE
3️⃣ #BlackOps6 is LIVE
4️⃣ #BlackOps6 is LIVE
5️⃣ #BlackOps6 is LIVE
6️⃣ #BlackOps6 is LIVE pic.twitter.com/WtVXPvO2gK
Professional Call of Duty esports can be traced back to the early days of the game’s release, but in 2019, the esport transitioned from open qualification to a franchise league with 12 teams based in 12 different cities.
Since the league's inception, both the players and teams have changed significantly. In 2021, Call of Duty partnered with Mountain Dew Game Fuel to release a set of trading cards featuring some of the biggest names in the sport, like Seth "Scump" Abner and Thomas "ZooMaa" Paparatto.
Game Fuel Trading Cards? Is this real life?
— Mountain Dew Gaming (@MTNDEWGaming) November 11, 2021
Yes! But only while supplies last! Get one pack with every purchase when you add it to your cart 🛒
Grab yours now at https://t.co/fRz2PFsmgW #GFTradingCards pic.twitter.com/0VwICdK6fo
Upper Deck holds the licenses for esports leagues like the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League, with multiple card releases over the past few years.
Their first full set, released in packs, was an Upper Deck collection featuring some of the same players from the Game Fuel release, including players from the Modern Warfare 2019 and Cold War seasons. This set was released in 2022, a few years after the seasons, but it still included some of the biggest names in the sport.
Call of Duty League trading cards will be available at Major I, players and moments will be from the MW2019 and Cold War season.
— CDL Intel (@intelCDL) December 13, 2022
They’re aiming for them to be available on the @UpperDeckSports website on Dec. 21st, as well as in hobby stores. pic.twitter.com/e2Y05pKTQ4
Upper Deck also released a print-on-demand set called the 2022 Upper Deck Call of Duty Game Dated Moments, which featured top rookies like Amer "Pred" Zulbeari, who played a key role in OpTic Texas’s World Championship last season.
A 2023 release is still awaiting a set release date, but players were spotted signing cards at multiple events last year. The checklist for the set has yet to be revealed, but it is expected to include players from Call of Duty: Vanguard and Modern Warfare 2.
Adam has been a sports content creator since 2016, initially focusing on creating sports-related graphics for his Instagram page. In 2018, he transitioned to writing and podcasting about sports cards. Since then, he has worked both independently and with companies within the industry, producing podcasts, videos, and written content on sports cards.