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London, Chicago, Seattle latest franchises for Call of Duty

George Rose/Getty Images

Activision revealed Friday that three new cities have bought in for the upcoming Call of Duty franchise league.

London, Chicago and Seattle will each be represented when play begins in 2020, bringing the current number of franchises to 12.

ReKTGlobal, the parent company of esports organization Rogue, will represent London.

"A new chapter in the book," ReKTGlobal tweeted Friday. "We're proud to represent the UK in the upcoming @CallofDuty League, and excited about the future this team will hold."

NRG Esports purchased the Chicago spot, while the Seattle franchise went to Aquilini Group and Enthusiast Gaming.

NRG also owns the San Francisco Shock of the Overwatch League.

"The Call of Duty Esports League is officially coming to Chicago," NRG tweeted Friday. "@NRGgg is incredibly proud to represent The Windy City's very own team!"

The Aquilini Group and Enthusiast Gaming are partnered with Luminosity Gaming and owns the OWL's Vancouver Titans, who tweeted: "We're excited to welcome another esports team to the family!"

The other cities with COD teams for the inaugural season are Atlanta, Dallas, Florida, Los Angeles (two teams), Minnesota, New York, Paris and Toronto.

The new CoD league will feature team rosters that consist of 7-10 players and 5-on-5 games. Mid-series substitutions will be allowed.

All professional players in the league will earn a base salary of $50,000, including health care benefits, retirement benefits and housing if the player desires. Even if a player is dropped from the roster during the season, their salary is fully guaranteed.

The league also requires at least a 50-50 split of prize pool earnings to be divided between teams and players.

The window to sign players opened Sept. 3.

Players who come to terms on deals for 2020 can still negotiate deals with other teams, but their current team has the right to match that offer. Contract buyouts also are permitted.

--Field Level Media