LET THE HYPE BEGIN.

The time has come. The rumors have been swirling for weeks now, but the “Pilot” is finally here. It may not be the total package just yet, but now the players can know when to expect the next nerd gathering.

LAN 1 took place Feburary 21-23 in Plano, Texas. The community leaders (shadowy cabal) couldn’t have known what to expect, but still poured in an extreme amount of time and effort to make sure the event took place. After soft-announcing around November, the expectations started tame. The team interest list was started, and there were 10-12 interested. Realistically, nobody expected the entire interest list to eventually make it down given all of the complexities. Teams hadn’t necessarily been formed, or locked in yet, and there was still plenty of time for things to fall apart. And some did. But what ended up happening defied all expectations.

Teams began forming. Legends came back to the game they loved and missed. New players heard about the community and joined. In the months leading up, the expectations heated up a bit. Once the first 6 teams were paid, over a month before the start of LAN, people started believing. 8 teams would be an awesome tournament, 10 would be a dream.

Pug nights began starting at 6-7est every day, and running far past midnight, all while scrims happened on a daily basis. The community was thriving. Surely we couldn’t get 12 teams to fly, drive, and swim down to Texas for Call of Duty 2 in 2025. We nearly did. A few pug teams later, the final count for LAN 1 was 11 teams, an insane feat. It’s a feat that everyone in the community could be proud of, whether you’re a player or organizer. THE COMMUNITY SHOWED OUT.

The event itself was even better. Thanks to the work of the admins, we ran about as smooth as we could have. Sure, the days ran late, but that is to be expected when some things are out of your control. And those Saturday Play-In games, they gave us some of the most intense games of the entire LAN.

In the end, the quaint little gamer venue GGEZ cafe hosted 55 nerds who battled for the title. Not even a few dodgers could sullen the mood. The locals pitched in and ensured everyone who came and wanted to play, did. We had over 100 concurrent viewers for most of the LAN.

Now, the expectations for LAN 2 are understandably a bit higher. We have the experience we need to make this one an even greater success, and the right people on board to make it happen. The community even grew after the LAN, getting 16!!! teams for GOTN season one. Nobody could have expected this in 2025. The memories from February still ring in everyone’s heads.

What venue will provide us these memories later this year?