CAL web outtage raises concerns and questions about the future of the league
The Cyberathlete Amateur League (“CAL”) website went offline tonight, much to the dismay of gamers who were expecting to play matches. Instantly forums around eSports lit up with rumors about the league’s demise.
Some rumors centered around a story of Scott Valencia taking over the reigns of the league. Mr. Valencia has a long history in eSports and has worked behind the scenes for CPL, WSVG and CGS. We contacted him and were told that he is not currently involved with CAL in any capacity.
The larger story centers around the acquisition of CPL by an investor group based out of the United Arab Emirates. This transfer was announced August 25th, 2008, and read in part:
Ms. Angela Summers, a spokesperson for the acquiring investment group, said, “We are planning
to launch a new company which will be named “CPL, LLC” and will be headquartered in the
United Arab Emirates. The new company will organise videogame tournaments worldwide.”
A subsequent announcement on Caleague.com stated that the new investors had also purchased CAL. The press release, dated November 14th, stated:
Friday, 14, November 2008 – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Dallas, Texas, USA – The newly formed CPL Holdings Group, LLC announced today that it has acquired the Cyberathlete Amateur League (CAL) in an all cash transaction that divests NewWorld.com, Inc. (former parent of CAL) and its shareholders from any interest in CAL.
The new management of CAL, will seek to increase its worldwide presence, enhance its infrastructure, and create a more interactive and fair environment for online game competitions. Participation in CAL will continue to be free of cost.
Ms. Angela Summers, a spokesperson for the CPL Holdings Group, LLC, said, “We are excited to have completed our first acquisition at the new CPL. We are also evaluating other media and gaming technology properties in Europe and Asia for either acquisition or partnership.”
Today’s website confusion can apparently be contributed to mechanical failures and the transfer of CAL’s database to a server in the United Kingdom. (Such a transfer may also signal a much more international feel for CAL in the future.)
In response to the community’s concern, Angel Munoz (founder of CPL and CAL) made a forum post on Gotfrag.com stating:
CAL and AVault.com are down because of a database error due to mechanical failure. Fortunately, the CAL database was successfully transferred to its new host in the UK and should be back up within 12 hours
In addition, an official press release dated today states:
On March 6, 2009 it will be eight years since we launched the online league named Cyberathlete Amateur League, or CAL. As previously announced, CAL was sold to the newly formed CPL Holdings Group, LTD., of the United Arab Emirates.
A few weeks ago the acquisition was finalized and this weekend we have commenced the process of transferring CAL to new host servers in the United Kingdom. While we are hoping for minimum interruption to CAL operations, it is likely that you will experience downtime while trying to access the CAL website.
Please bear with us as we complete the transfer process to the new owners.
It seems interesting things may be in store for CPL and CAL fans. Keep it locked to compLexityGaming.com for all future updates and coverage.