Dashy on COD: ‘They Know The Nerds Are Always Going to Buy It’

Call of Duty

April 2, 2024

Grant Taylor-Hill

Call of Duty has had a tumultuous few years, with the game’s ecosystem being studded with controversies, issues, and dwindling reviews from fans and critics alike. There have been widespread problems with cheaters, massive concerns around instability and poor balancing, and of course, plenty of debates about the future of the game’s competitive network. During a recent stream, Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell had some harsh but realistic words for the state of play where Call of Duty is concerned.

For years, Dashy has sat at the top of the competitive table. He’s a long-time representative of the OpTic Gaming banner, and while he’s yet to secure much in the way of major wins, he’s one of the most talented players in the Call of Duty League. However, he hasn’t been without his own controversies over the years, the most recent of which came around a year ago when Dashy seemed to be ‘slacking off’ and impacting his teammates.

Harsh but True

Image Credit: OpTic Gaming

Speaking candidly on a recent stream, Dashy had some choice words about why Call of Duty seems to be stuck in a competitive decline. In recent months, viewership figures tanked following a move to YouTube for the CDL, and the overall sentiment is a weak one. Here’s what Dashy had to say about the situation:

‘I swear the CODs nowadays, they don’t even give a f*** about making an actual good COD that’s somewhat competitive. They just want s*** that’s going to sell. Obviously what they’re doing now, it’s going to appeal more to like the general audience just because the games are easier to play. That’s why the games get easier and easier to play, bro. It’s not like the majority of people are godlike, you know what I mean? Because they know the nerds are always going to buy it and they’re going to grind just because they love this s***.’

In one follow-up comment, a user stressed that this trend has ‘been blatant since the birth of microtransactions’. To be honest, Dashy isn’t wrong. Call of Duty has struggled for the longest time with a competitive/casual balance. It wants to appeal to as diverse an audience as possible while also being a ‘legitimate esports game’ with a solid competitive ecosystem. There are many mechanics embedded in the franchise that are designed to maintain a status quo, though – like SBMM, for instance.

Dashy speaks on the current state of CoD!

W or L take? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/36t27ooZNc

— SpawnUp (@SpawnUpgg) April 1, 2024

If you line Call of Duty up alongside competing titles, it becomes obvious that there’s a serious problem on the competitive level. It’s the pro players who have the platform to make these kinds of statements, but it’s a sentiment that’s echoed by millions of players the world over.