(MENAFN) As per internal papers released by VICE's Motherboard, the US Army was prepared to spend millions of dollars on e-sports tournaments, sponsorships of prominent Call of Duty broadcasters, and other online gaming events in order to attract new recruits.
In many cases, the military cancelled the sponsorships when Activision, the publisher of Call of Duty, faced sexual harassment allegations last year.
According to one paper, the Army should "concentrate on the rise of ladies, Blacks, and Hispanics." Motherboard got the records through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Among the events it wished to support was the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Esports League on the Twitch platform. The Army had budgeted $1 million for the event.
Call of Duty was seen as a “potentially useful branding and recruiting tool,” Motherboard clarified.
According to the docs, Twitch influencers might "produce unique content videos highlighting the vast spectrum of skillsets available by the Army" while also familiarizing gamers with "Army ideals."
The military planned to spend $750,000 on the official Call of Duty League Esports and the streaming service Paramount+, as well as $200,000 on the game's mobile edition. According to the papers, gamers who watched Army advertisements would get in-game cash. Stonemountain64, a popular streamer with over 2.3 million followers, was also in the running for a $150,000 sponsorship.
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