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Wikipedia

Overwatch League

February 16, 2024

The Overwatch League (OWL) was a professional esports league for the video game Overwatch, produced by its developer, Blizzard Entertainment. From 2018 to 2023, the Overwatch League followed the model of other traditional North American professional sporting leagues by using a set of permanent, city-based teams backed by separate ownership groups. The league used the regular season and playoffs format rather than promotion and relegation used commonly in other esports and non-North American leagues, with players on the roster being assured a minimum annual salary, benefits, and a portion of winnings and revenue-sharing based on team performance.

Overwatch League
GameOverwatch
Founded2017
Inaugural season2018
Ceased2024
Replaced byOverwatch Champions Series
Owner(s)Blizzard Entertainment
CommissionerJohanna Faries
No. of teams19
Countries
Last
champion(s)		Florida Mayhem
Most titlesSan Francisco Shock (2)
Related
competitions
Official websiteoverwatchleague.com

The Overwatch League was announced in 2016 and secured commitments from 12 teams across the United States, Europe, and Asia, each investing $20 million in franchise fees, to participate in its 2018 inaugural season. The league faced skeptics who questioned its potential success due to the lack of a proven concept and a game without a substantial esports history. For the following season, the Overwatch League brought in eight new franchises, each investing between $35 million to $60 million.

In 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread disruptions and forced the league abandon its original homestand model and shift to an online format, where teams competed remotely from their respective regions. While the suspension of in-person events provided a temporary solution, it also raised concerns about its financial viability. However, some team owners noted that not having live events allowed them to mitigate financial losses that they would have otherwise incurred. During the 2021 season, in the wake of a lawsuit filed against Activision Blizzard, nearly all of the league's sponsors withdrew their support from the league.

In November 2022, a broken partnership with NetEase and Blizzard resulted in Overwatch 2 being banned in China. As a result, the league allowed Overwatch Contenders teams to compete in its Eastern Region for the following season, and the league saw its first team leave, as the Chengdu Hunters dissolved. In January 2023, Overwatch League teams collectively initiated a collective bargaining process, which resulted in the Overwatch League agreeing to waive all outstanding franchise fees. By November 2023, Blizzard had announced that Overwatch esports was "transitioning" from the Overwatch League into a more traditional esports structure for the title, which would become the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) in 2024.

Format edit

The Overwatch League was owned by Blizzard Entertainment and run by Major League Gaming, which is also owned by Blizzard's parent company Activision Blizzard.[1] The Overwatch League played out similar to most North American professional sports leagues, in which all teams played scheduled games against other teams to vie for position in the season's playoffs, rather than the approach of team promotion and relegation more commonly used in other esports leagues.[2] The league featured twenty teams split between two conferences based on their location: East and West. The East had eight teams, while the West had twelve.[3]

The 2018 season consisted of non-regulation pre-season play, a regular season divided into four stages, and a post-season playoffs tournament to determine the championship team for the season. Each regular season stage lasted five weeks, with each stage ending with a short playoff of the top teams based on that stage's records to determine stage champions.[4] Teams played 40 matches across the regular season, playing teams both within and outside their division. The post-season playoffs used teams' overall standings across all stages. The top standing team in both divisions received the top two seed in the playoffs, followed by a fixed number of teams determined from across both divisions.[4] An All-Star weekend is also held, featuring two division-based teams selected by league representatives and voted on by fans.

The 2019 season format was similar to that of the previous season, though stage playoffs for the fourth stage were eliminated and the number of matches was decreased to 28, among other changes. The 2020 season introduced a number of changes, including a home-and-away format, where each team would host home games with up to eight teams per homestand event, and the elimination of the stage format. This format was eventually changed to a bimonthly tournament-based season in April due to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teams are awarded with monetary prizes for how they place at the end of the regular season, as well as for participating and placing high in the stage playoffs and post-season tournament. For example, the first season had a total prize pool of US$3.5 million available, with the top prize of $1 million awarded to the post-season championship team.[4]

Rules edit

See also: Gameplay of Overwatch

Overwatch is a five-versus-five team-based first-person shooter video game. Broadly, the goal is to work with team members to eliminate or repel opponents while attacking, defending, or competing for an objective. Players select from the game's roster of thirty-three heroes, split between classes of Damage (the main attackers), Support (providing healing and other buffs), and Tank (shielding teammates with high health amounts) each with their own pre-designed set of weapons and skill kits, though each player on a team must play a unique hero. Starting with stage four of the 2019 season, each team must be composed of two Damage heroes, two Supports, and two Tanks. A player can switch to an available hero within the same class if they are eliminated prior to respawning, or if they return to their current spawn point, which allows for teams to adjust their composition dynamically based on the current situation.

Within league play, a regular season match featured two teams (one selected as the home team, the other as the visiting team) playing a best-of-five format, with each map featuring a predetermined map type, following the same gameplay format as with normal competitive mode in Overwatch: Control maps, played on a best-of-three rounds, and Assault, Escort, and Hybrid maps, with each team having at least one chance as the attacking team. The pool of specific maps from the standard Overwatch rotation were determined periodically, allowing the teams to determine their player lineups and strategy while also changing the season's metagame.[5] A team may have called in substitutes for players only between maps. The team that won three maps first won the match. If teams are tied after four games, a tiebreaker game played on a Control map (which cannot end in a tie) was used to break the tie and determine the match winner. Standings were based primarily on the overall match win–loss record, but ties were broken based on the total map win–loss record. Any further ties for tournament placement were broken based first on the head-to-head game win–loss record, then head-to-head match count.

Overwatch League games were played on a custom server controlled by Blizzard; this server is also available to players for practices. This version of the game received similar updates to the main commercial game, adding new maps and heroes, and altering the various hero abilities based on testing within the Public Test Realm. However, these updates were not applied immediately as they are for the commercial game, but instead no more frequent than once every six weeks. For example, a late January 2018 patch, which had significant effects on characters like Mercy and thus had potential to upset the metagame, was not applied to the league server until mid-February, at the start of the second stage.[6][7] However, teams were given access to private servers updated to alongside the main release of Overwatch for them to practice and scrimmage against other teams to learn and develop strategies on updates and patches before experiencing them in official matches.[8] For matches, each player was provided with an identical desktop computer, monitor, and pair of noise-cancelling headphones to play on to eliminate any handicaps related to computational or graphics processing, but players may have used their preferred keyboard and mouse.[9]

Player eligibility and benefits edit

 
The esports training facilities for the Dallas Fuel

While Overwatch is played in teams of five, Overwatch League teams could have had up to six additional players that could be swapped between maps.[10] A team's membership was locked at the start of the season, but a mid-season signing period allowed teams to bring in new players or trade players between teams.[10] Following the end of the season, teams had about one month to extend current player contracts, bring on players from affiliated Overwatch Contenders teams, or hold private tryout sessions. Subsequently, all unsigned players by the end of this period entered free agency during which players could negotiate with teams to become part of the roster; in the case of when expansion teams were added, there was a month-long period where expansion teams had exclusive negotiating rights before other teams can engage. A team's minimum roster was to be set prior to the season's pre-season matches, about two months prior to season play, but they could expand and change this roster up until a specified date.[11][12] The league was not region-locked, so teams could use players of any nationality to fill their ranks, as long as the team ownership was based in that city or region. For example, the London Spitfire at the onset of the first season was entirely made up of South Korean players. The only restriction on players is to be of at least 17 years old and to be able to travel internationally.[13][14]

Overwatch League players, while on a team's contract, were paid an annual salary. As of the 2023 season, a player's salary was a minimum of US$54,249 set by the league.[15] Additionally, the league offered players with health and retirement benefits, as well as housing and training support. Blizzard required team owners to provide the signed players with bonuses representing at least 50% of the team's winnings and revenue.[16] Players could negotiate for larger amounts with their team's owners and larger portion of the bonus revenue-sharing from tournament winnings and other income. For example, in 2017, Jay "sinatraa" Won secured the league's highest salary of $150,000 for his spot on the San Francisco Shock, along with a 50% share of the team's bonuses.[17]

Players were expected to follow a code of conduct set by Blizzard while playing and representing the league, and may have face suspension and fines for violating these, in addition to any penalties the team itself may impose.[18] A noted incident shortly after the league's launch saw Dallas Fuel's Félix "xQc" Lengyel suspended by the league for four games and fined $2,000 for making homophobic comments about another player; the Fuel further suspended him for the remainder of the first stage of play.[19] Following additional conduct violations in the second stage that led to further suspension, xQc was released by the Fuel.[20] Blizzard has since started its online "discipline tracker" in December 2018 to list players who have been temporarily suspended or fined for actions related to their behavior as representatives of the Overwatch League.[21] Players, as part of their benefits, received media training to help with speaking to the press and public about their roles, an issue that has been a problem in previous organized esport systems.[22]

Open Division and Contenders edit

Professional teams in the league were given the opportunity to scout for new players through two additional competitive leagues run by Blizzard. The Open Division, first started in June 2017, allowed amateur teams to compete against each other in a structured season. Those that qualify at the end of the season were seeded into a post-season tournament with intra-regional matches. Players that complete all non-playoff games for their team could earn a small amount of credit to Blizzard's digital storefront, while regional winning teams could earn higher prize payouts. The Open division was played across seven different regions: Australia, China, Europe, Korea, North America, Pacific, and South America.[23]

Players or teams can then move up from the Open Division into Overwatch Contenders, which was a minor league to the Overwatch League. Contenders was launched in 2018 to merge existing regional tournaments into a structure to support the Overwatch League. Contenders consisted of several global divisions with a number of teams within each, which may include both professional and amateur players. Contender teams may have been affiliated with an Overwatch League team as an academy team, and up to two players per academy team could be signed to two-way contracts to be moved between their academy team and Overwatch League team.[11]

Contenders was launched in the first half of 2018 with five divisions with 12 teams each: Korea (replacing the Overwatch Apex tournament), China (replacing the Overwatch Premier Series), and Pacific (replacing Overwatch Pacific Championship for other Asian-Pacific countries), and adding in North America and European divisions. Prior to the second 2018 Contenders season, Blizzard added two additional divisions, for Australia and South America, bringing the total to seven. The top eight teams from the Open Division within each region are also invited to Contenders Trials, a weekly promotion and relegation tournament to compete in the following week of Contenders.[24] For its second season in 2019, Blizzard adjusted the format by reducing the number of teams in each region to eight, while dividing the North American region into East and West divisions. Blizzard also added a regional limit of the number of "import players", which are those that live outside the division's region, to a maximum of three.[25] These changes were reverted for the 2020 season.

History edit

Concept edit

The development of Overwatch began in approximately 2013, coinciding with the rising popularity of esports and spectator-driven video gaming, fueled by the accessibility of live streaming platforms.[9] However, the game's development was not dedicated to esports. Lead director Jeff Kaplan, based on Blizzard's past experiences with esports, emphasized the importance of avoiding excessive commitment to esports too early in the game's lifespan. Instead, they chose to closely observe the player community and incorporate any esports-related goals based on their observations.[26] During the beta period of Overwatch, which lasted from late 2015 to mid-2016, Blizzard observed that players were organizing ad hoc competitions and tournaments for the game. This led to Blizzard's consideration of the potential impact if they took charge of formalizing and structuring these competitions. Nate Nanzer, who later became the league's commissioner, noted that with the right approach and investment, they could monetize esports in a manner comparable to traditional sports. Building on this insight, Blizzard laid the groundwork for what would eventually become the Overwatch League.[9] Part of this included introducing competitive features directly into the main Overwatch game, such as ranked play, allowing players to climb a rankings ladder and attract the attention of esports team organizers.[1] In October 2016, Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, the parent company of Blizzard, first publicly mentioned the Overwatch League. Kotick highlighted the viewership of user-generated esports content, which had already reached around 100 million, surpassing the viewership of some professional NFL and NBA games. Recognizing this potential, Kotick envisioned the Overwatch League as a means to deliver "professional content" and tap into this extensive viewership.[27]

The Overwatch League was formally announced at BlizzCon in November 2016.[2] During the announcement, Blizzard revealed their plans for the league, which would feature franchised teams employing players to compete in both live arenas and via video streaming platforms. These teams would provide players with salaries, benefits, and opportunities for team and player development.[2][28] Blizzard's approach to the league differed from traditional esports models that used relegation and promotion systems, such as the one employed in the League of Legends Championship Series. Instead, they opted to follow the American model prevalent in more traditional physical sports.[2][29] Kotick expressed his belief that the Overwatch League represented an unprecedented venture in esports, emphasizing that nothing of this scale had been attempted before.[2][28] He also emphasized the importance of adopting a model similar to the NFL in terms of league structure and financial opportunities to attract substantial investments and establish long-lasting franchises within the Overwatch League. He described this approach as a "forever investment".[30]

Blizzard aimed to cover the costs of running the league through traditional revenue streams commonly seen in professional sports leagues, including promotion, advertisements, and physical merchandise. Additionally, owing to the digital nature of esports, Kotick said that they had the opportunity to generate revenue from virtual league-based items offered to fans, as well as increased sales of Overwatch and other games. He also expressed that they could explore more lucrative "over-the-top advertising opportunities that wouldn't exist in traditional sports". Kotick expressed confidence in the league's future financial success. While certain revenue streams might take time to fully materialize, he noted significant traction and enthusiasm from fans before the inaugural season began.[31]

Buildout edit

 
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was one of the first businesspeople approached to own an Overwatch League team.

Blizzard sought out potential team owners, with a focus on establishing localized teams tied to specific geographic areas. The company believed that having such local teams would generate greater interest in esports among spectators and potential sponsors, as it would create new opportunities for fans to engage and support their hometown teams. A meeting for prospective team owners took place at BlizzCon 2016, shortly after the league's official announcement. Notable attendees included Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, and Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Los Angeles Rams.[28] During the formative stages of the league, Blizzard appointed Steve Bornstein as the company's esports chair. Bornstein, formerly the president of ABC Sports and CEO of NFL Network, assumed a role in shaping the broadcast and presentation of Overwatch League games.[9]

Blizzard anticipated the Overwatch League would have a seven-figure payoff for the winning team at the end of a season. The inaugural season of the league, which was initially intended to be a shortened one, was planned to start in Q3 2017. Subsequent full-length seasons were scheduled to commence in 2018, with the league incorporating half-year long seasonal breaks beginning in Q4 of that year.[29] Prior to the league's official start, Blizzard planned to host a combine, during which players would be invited to try out for guaranteed team contracts.[32]

After the initial announcement in November 2016, Blizzard remained tight-lipped about the Overwatch League for several months, leading to some speculation that the league might be encountering challenges. In May 2017, ESPN reported that the league was indeed facing difficulties in securing franchise deals and attributed these issues to two primary factors. Firstly, the high base cost of starting a franchise, which began at $20 million and could be even higher in more urban markets like New York City and Los Angeles, presented a significant barrier. This entry fee was substantially higher compared to buy-ins for other esports leagues. Secondly, another obstacle was the absence of revenue sharing until 2021. This meant that potential franchise owners could face difficulties in recovering their initial investment costs.[33] However, during this time, Activision Blizzard was actively engaging with potential team owners, opting to withhold extensive announcements until they could present comprehensive details.[34]

The Kraft Group, headed by Robert Kraft, emerged as a key team owner for the league. Kraft had shown previous interest in investing in esports and had met with Bobby Kotick in 2013 when Kotick was exploring investment opportunities in an NFL franchise. During that meeting, Kraft revealed their intent to seek investment in an esports team. Over the next few years, Kraft evaluated various esports competitions but was not entirely comfortable with their grassroots nature. However, when Blizzard introduced the Overwatch League during BlizzCon 2016, it captured Kraft's attention. By March 2017, a deal was successfully struck between Kraft and Activision, securing the first team ownership group for the Overwatch League.[35] Once the Kraft Group committed to supporting a Boston-based team, later named the Boston Uprising, this acted as a catalyst, leading to the formation of six additional teams in the league.[36] The Kraft Group themselves helped to convince some of the other owners to buy into the Overwatch League.[35]

In July 2017, Blizzard revealed the first seven teams and their respective owners for the Overwatch League.[37] Over the following months, additional teams were announced, eventually finalizing a total of twelve teams by mid-December.[38]

 
Blizzard Arena hosted nearly every Overwatch League match from 2018 to 2019.

In September 2017, Blizzard announced that they would make permanent use of Studio 1 at The Burbank Studios in Burbank, California, and would convert it into the "Blizzard Arena".[39] Having a dedicated arena served several purposes. Firstly, it aimed to elevate the status of the Overwatch League, presenting it as a highly orchestrated event distinct from other esports tournaments. Additionally, the Blizzard Arena provided an opportunity for players to build stronger connections with their fanbase. Blizzard conducted Overwatch Contenders events in the Blizzard Arena in October 2017. This allowed them to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments ahead of the Overwatch League pre-season, which commenced in December 2017.[40]

Launch and expansion edit

To support spectating on broadcast and streaming media, Blizzard implemented cosmetic modifications to the game. Each team received dedicated character skins featuring their team colors, names, and logos. These customized skins were used during matches to easily identify and represent their respective teams.[41] To allow fans outside of the league to show their support, Blizzard introduced a special in-game currency called "OWL Tokens". Players could purchase a character's team skin using OWL Tokens. A percentage of the revenue generated from these purchases was allocated to the teams themselves, providing them with additional financial support.[42][43] Initially, OWL Tokens were obtainable through an in-game purchase with real currency. However, during the first season, viewers could receive tokens by watching the live broadcast of games through any official Overwatch League channel.[44]

Blizzard also worked to create an AI-based cameraman, capable of following the action of the game and selecting key instant replays.[41] During regular season matches, Blizzard employed a team of approximately 80 to 100 people to manage the game and its broadcast. This team included on-screen hosts, interviewers, play-by-play announcers or "shoutcasters", broadcasting and technical support personnel, and "observers" who used the AI cameraman to monitor matches from various angles. Additionally, there were broadcasting and technical support personnel involved in the production.[9] For broadcasting and commentary, Blizzard enlisted individuals such as Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles, Erik "DoA" Lonnquist, Matt "Mr. X" Morello, and Mitchell "Uber" Leslie to shoutcast the matches.[45] Blizzard released an Overwatch League app in early January 2018, just before the first season commenced. The app provided schedules, results, highlights, and other essential details about the league's progress.[46]

Preseason play for the inaugural season of the Overwatch League commenced on December 6, 2017.[47] The first regular season game took place on January 10, 2018, with the Los Angeles Valiant defeating the San Francisco Shock.[48] The initial night of play through the English broadcast on Twitch garnered over 415,000 viewers, while never dropping below 285,000 once play started.[49] Blizzard reported that during the first week, over 10 million viewers watched league play across all streaming platforms, and the Blizzard Arena was sold-out throughout the entire week.[50] However, by the end of the season, the league faced challenges in filling seats at Blizzard Arena. According to a former esports executive, it was not uncommon to have only around 100 people in the audience. To address this issue, the company resorted to busing in employees or distributing free tickets to students when high-profile individuals like Kotick or other VIPs were expected to attend. However, this approach was seen as incentivizing undesirable behavior, as it artificially inflated attendance numbers to impress potential team owners and sell them on the promise of a thriving live audience.[51]

As the postseason began, Blizzard and Disney signed a deal to air postseason games on ABC, ESPN, and Disney XD alongside the official Twitch streams, with the partnership extending into the second season.[52] During its first season, the league secured over $200 million in sponsorships and broadcast rights. Major sponsors included Intel, Omen by HP, Toyota, T-Mobile, and Spotify, with most deals valued at over $10 million each.[53] The league ultimately exceeded its 2018 projected revenue of $22 million.[51]

 
The London Spitfire won the 2018 Grand Finals.

The London Spitfire became the first champions of Overwatch League after defeating the Philadelphia Fusion in the Grand Finals, which took place before 22,000 fans at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on July 27–28.[54] The finals were watched by more than 10.8 million people, with a viewership comparable to regular season NFL games.[55]

In March 2018, Overwatch League executives began to search for new expansion teams, particularly in international markets, as only one team, the Shanghai Dragons were owned by a foreign corporation at the time. Despite initial skepticism and doubts about the league's potential, Overwatch League's revenue had already exceeded expectations, reaching almost four times its original projection from December 2017 to February 2018. The franchise fee for expansion teams was expected to be higher than the inaugural season, estimated to be between $35 million to $60 million.[56] In September 2018, Blizzard announced the addition of eight new teams for the second season: the Atlanta Reign, Guangzhou Charge, Hangzhou Spark, Toronto Defiant, Paris Eternal, Washington Justice, Vancouver Titans, and Chengdu Hunters. This brought the total number of teams in the league to 20.[57]

 
The Dallas Fuel Homestand event held at the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas, during the 2019 season

For the second season, the regular season was split into four stages, and each team played a total of 28 games, with seven games per stage. This reduced the number of games from 40, which was played in the first season, addressing concerns related to player fatigue and mental health.[58] Most regular season games were played at the Blizzard Arena in Los Angeles, but select Homestand Weekends matches took place at locations in Dallas, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, testing the feasibility of home-and-away games for the following season.[59][60]

In May 2019, during the middle of the season, league commissioner Nate Nanzer announced that he would be leaving Blizzard to join Epic Games. Pete Vlastelica, who was the CEO and president of Activision Blizzard Esports, took over as the league commissioner following Nanzer's departure.[61] The following month, Immortals Gaming Club (IGC), the parent company of the Los Angeles Valiant, acquired Infinite Esports, the parent company of Houston Outlaws, marking the first sale of any Overwatch League franchise.[62] Since one company may not own more than one OWL franchise, IGC sold the Outlaws to the Beasley Media Group in November 2019.[63]

Beginning in the second season, Fanatics became the league's outfitter, responsible for producing and selling team- and OWL-related clothing and merchandise.[64] Blizzard also signed a multi-year deal with Coca-Cola to become the official non-alcoholic beverage sponsor for various Overwatch esports events, including the Overwatch League, Overwatch Contenders, Open Division, Overwatch World Cup, and BlizzCon.[65] Bud Light became the league's alcoholic beverage sponsor, excluding in China.[66] Furthermore, Xfinity signed on as a sponsor for the 2019 Overwatch League playoffs and Grand Finals.[67] Throughout the second season, the overall global viewership was estimated at 218,000 per minute on average across all games, with a majority of viewers coming from outside the United States.[30]

Transition to online play edit

Ahead of the 2020 season, Blizzard signed a three-year deal with YouTube to be the exclusive broadcaster of the Overwatch League. This agreement replaced Twitch as the primary streaming platform for the league's matches. As part of the arrangement, Blizzard also established Google Cloud Platform as the preferred infrastructure provider for the game servers.[68][69]

In the third season of the Overwatch League, significant changes were made to fully adopt the away-and-home format, allowing games to take place in home arenas for each team.[70] The home arenas were not required to be dedicated esports venues, and some teams collaborated with their local cities to develop such spaces that could also host other sports and entertainment events. For instance, the Philadelphia Fusion's owner, Comcast Spectacor, announced plans to construct the $50 million Fusion Arena by the 2021 season,[71] but during the 2020 season, they scheduled homestand games at the Metropolitan Opera House in Philadelphia and Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.[30] Throughout the 2020 season, there were 52 homestand events planned, with each team hosting at least two in their home arenas. Teams that already secured larger arenas were set to host additional regular season events to support the newer teams and arenas in becoming better established. For example, Dallas, Washington, and Guangzhou each had five homestand events scheduled.[70]

The initial schedules were managed by the teams, but Blizzard anticipated taking over scheduling for the 2021 season. Blizzard provided flexibility for teams to plan the 2020 schedule and develop logistics for hosting homestand events, including providing accommodations and practice areas for visiting teams during those weekends. This expansion was coordinated with the Call of Duty League (CDL), a professional esports league founded by Activision in 2020, which also followed the city-based model with many teams owned by the same entities as OWL teams. Both leagues faced similar logistics challenges and coordinated efforts when applicable.[72] Moreover, the previously established divisions were converted into conferences, with each conference having two divisions. The stages were eliminated, and teams continued to play 28 games throughout the season with a planned mid-season All-Star break.[73] Looking forward, League Commissioner Pete Vlastelica expressed interest in potential expansion of the league, with a primary focus on introducing more teams from Europe.[70]

Due to the restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league had to suspend all homestand events and transitioned to online play just a month into the 2020 season.[74] Blizzard Entertainment announced its intention to return to the homestand format as soon as it was safe and logistically feasible.[75] With the closure of entertainment venues in Los Angeles,[76] the Overwatch League production team, including casters and analysts, moved to remote setups, with everyone working from home for the remainder of the season.[77] As part of the adaptation to the new circumstances, the league abandoned the original conferences and instead organized teams into two regions to account for their geographical locations. Teams exclusively competed within their respective regions during the regular season, and inter-regional matches only occurred at the end of the playoffs period. Additionally, the 2020 season introduced mid-season tournaments, held three times throughout the regular season, all still split by region.[78]

According to two owners, the pandemic had an unexpected positive impact on teams as it halted the financial losses incurred from live events. However, the suspension of in-person games also challenged the league's original justification for its existence, leading some teams to contemplate not paying franchise fees in 2020. Two individuals familiar with the situation revealed that Activision Blizzard permitted teams to postpone the fees and provided a $2 million payroll credit. As part of the agreement, teams were required to sign a release stating they would not pursue legal action against the company, as reported by two other sources.[51]

At the end of the 2020 season, commissioner Pete Vlastelica stepped down to take on a new position.[79] He was replaced by Johanna Faries, the commissioner of the Call of Duty League, who became the commissioner of both leagues.[80][81]

During the fourth season of the Overwatch League, the league continued to adopt regional, online play due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, some live events were initially planned to take place in China.[82] The OWL expanded on its tournament format from the previous year, introducing four midseason tournaments throughout the regular season.[83] In July 2021, the league announced that it would host its two postseason events live at different venues: the playoffs would be held at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas, and the 2021 Grand Finals would take place at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California.[84] However, due to increasing risks related to COVID-19 and the Delta variant, as well as visa difficulties, these live events were later canceled and shifted to online play.[85][86] During the season, the OWL also faced sponsor pullbacks, with many of its partners withdrawing their sponsorships following a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) against Activision Blizzard for sexual harassment and discrimination within the company. Sponsors, such as Coca-Cola, Kellogg's, State Farm, and T-Mobile, withdrew their support from the league.[87][88] By mid-August 2021, the only sponsor present during Overwatch League broadcasts was voice-over-Internet Protocol software company TeamSpeak.[89]

Overwatch 2 era edit

 
For the first time since 2019, the Grand Finals were played live in 2022.

For the fifth season of the OWL, the league played on an early release of Overwatch 2.[90] The season, which began in early May 2022, faced several challenges on multiple fronts. Notably, there were no known sponsors for the season as of June 9, 2022. Moreover, the league underwent significant changes in its leadership during this time, as five top executives left Activision Blizzard Esports or transitioned to other departments since the start of the season. Furthermore, the company made adjustments to its operations, deciding to outsource its broadcast and event production to a third party.[51] During the midseason tournaments, viewership numbers experienced a significant decrease compared to the previous season, with a reduction of up to 40.5%.[91] However, after the official release of Overwatch 2 on October 5, 2022, the league saw a surge in viewership. The 2022 playoffs reached an live average minute audience of 250,000, surpassing previous viewership records from when the league was broadcast on Twitch in 2018 and 2019. The 2022 Grand Finals were held live at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, marking the first time that the Grand Finals were held live since 2019.[92] In terms of sponsorships, the league secured a deal with Butterfinger for the playoffs, marking their first new sponsorship since 2021.[93]

During the offseason leading up to the 2023 season, the league faced challenges with uncertainties about its future, as broken partnership with NetEase caused disruptions in the East Region as certain Blizzard games, including Overwatch 2, were banned in China. To adapt to this, in the East Region, an "open ecosystem" approach was implemented, allowing Overwatch Contenders teams to compete alongside Overwatch League teams. A preseason pro-am tournament was also held in the West Region, where Overwatch Contenders teams competed against established OWL teams. The regular season was divided into two stages, Spring and Summer, and featured only one midseason tournament.[94] Several teams underwent significant changes in branding and regions during this offseason as well. The Paris Eternal relocated to Las Vegas and rebranded as the Vegas Eternal, making them the first team in the league to switch cities.[95] Similarly, the Philadelphia Fusion shifted their base to Seoul and adopted a new identity as the Seoul Infernal.[96] Not all teams remained intact, as the Chengdu Hunters disbanded.[97]

In January 2023, in an effort to address operating costs and viewership challenges, Overwatch League teams collectively initiated a bargaining process. They enlisted the representation of Sheridans, a British law firm, to negotiate with Activision Blizzard. This collective bargaining process led to an agreement between OverActive Media, the owner of the Toronto Defiant, and the Overwatch League. As part of this agreement, the Toronto Defiant signed a sponsorship deal with the league, and the Overwatch League agreed to waive the outstanding franchise fees owed by all teams.[98][99]

Termination edit

On July 19, 2023, Activision-Blizzard released its second-quarter earnings report. According to the report, following the conclusion of the 2023 season, franchise owners voted on an updated operating agreement. Should the teams opt not to continue under the updated agreement, a termination fee of $6 million would be payable to each participating team entity, amounting to a total fee of approximately $114 million.[100] On November 8, 2023, an OWL spokesperson confirmed that Blizzard would be transitioning away from its current model and would be working on building a new framework for competitive Overwatch, as a two-thirds majority of OWL franchisees voted to depart from the league. Reports suggested that the league might be operated by a third-party tournament organizer in 2024.[101][102] On January 23, 2024, Blizzard announced that the Overwatch League was officially folded; on the same day, they announced a multi-year deal with ESL FACEIT Group and WDG Esports to create the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) to replace the OWL.[103][104]

Teams edit

The league launched in 2018 with twelve teams, each based in a global city. Eight additional teams were added in the league's 2019 season. Prior to the 2020 season, the teams were divided between two divisions: the Atlantic Division with the American East Coast, Eastern Canadian and European teams, and the Pacific Division with the American West Coast, Western Canadian and Asian teams.[105][4][106] With the 2020 season, the two divisions were elevated to conferences, keeping the same team distributions, but with now two divisions within each conference.[73] Additionally, teams began playing in home/away games, with each team having one or more venues to host homestand weekends.[73] However, due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, all live matches were cancelled near the beginning of the 2020 season, and teams were divided into regions.[107] Below was the region split as of the 2023 season.

  East Region   West Region
Team Location Joined Owner[108] Academy team
East Region
Dallas Fuel   Dallas 2018 OpTic Gaming Team Envy (inactive)
Guangzhou Charge   Guangzhou 2019 Nenking Group Ultra Prime Academy (inactive)
Hangzhou Spark   Hangzhou 2019 Bilibili Bilibili Gaming (inactive)
Seoul Dynasty   Seoul 2018 Gen.G Esports Gen.G Global Academy
Seoul Infernal   Seoul 2018 Comcast Spectacor Fusion University (inactive), T1 (inactive)
Shanghai Dragons   Shanghai 2018 NetEase Team CC (inactive)
West Region
Atlanta Reign   Atlanta 2019 Atlanta Esports Ventures ATL Academy (inactive)
Boston Uprising   Boston 2018 Kraft Group Uprising Academy (inactive)
Florida Mayhem   Miami–Orlando 2018 Misfits Gaming Mayhem Academy (inactive)
Houston Outlaws   Houston 2018 Beasley Media Group GG Esports Academy (inactive)
London Spitfire   London 2018 Cloud9 British Hurricane (inactive)
Los Angeles Gladiators   Los Angeles 2018 Kroenke Sports & Entertainment Gladiators Legion (inactive)
Los Angeles Valiant   Los Angeles 2018 Immortals Gaming Club None
New York Excelsior   New York City 2018 NYXL NYXL Academy
San Francisco Shock   San Francisco 2018 NRG Esports O2 Blast
Toronto Defiant   Toronto 2019 OverActive Media Montreal Rebellion (inactive)
Vancouver Titans   Vancouver 2019 Canucks Sports & Entertainment None
Vegas Eternal   Las Vegas 2019 DM-Esports Eternal Academy (inactive)
Washington Justice   Washington, D.C. 2019 Washington Esports Ventures None

League championships edit

As of the 2022 season, 20 different teams have competed in the league, with four having won at least one Grand Finals title.

Broadcasting edit

Shortly prior to the beginning of the 2018 regular season, Blizzard reached a two-year deal with Twitch to be the main streaming broadcaster of the Overwatch League outside of China, reported to be valued at $90 million.[109] The service carried streams in English, French, and Korean, while users who linked their Twitch account to their Battle.net account would also be eligible for chances to receive in-game items for Overwatch while watching broadcasts.[110] A subscription service known as the "All-Access Pass" also allowed users access to private streams and chat rooms with players, coaches, league officials and announcers, in-game currency to purchase team skins, emotes for use on Twitch chats, and discounts at Blizzard's store.[111] This feature was expanded for the 2019 season to include the ability for viewers to use the "command center" app introduced during the 2018 Overwatch World Cup, to be able to view matches from different camera angles in real-time.[112] The league also posted highlights on Twitter starting with the first season's All-Star Weekend and continuing into the second season, and also produced a weekly pre-game show called Watchpoint.[113]

On July 11, 2018, Blizzard also announced a U.S. television deal with ESPN through the 2019 season, under which coverage of the 2018 playoffs would be simulcast across ESPN networks, including the semi-finals airing across ESPN2, ESPNews, and Disney–ABC Television Group sister channel Disney XD, the first night of the final airing on the main ESPN network (marking its first-ever primetime broadcast of an esports event), continuing on Disney XD the next day, and a highlights package the following Sunday on ABC.[114][115] The arrangement continued into the 2019 season, with Disney XD adding regular-season broadcasts, and ABC adding broadcast television simulcasts of the Stage 1 and Stage 2 finals, and the all-star event.[116] This partnership included broadcasting rights to the Overwatch World Cup as well.[52] ESPN's sister Canadian network TSN also carried broadcasts on its platforms, including television encores of matches involving the league's new Canadian franchises.[117]

German sports channel Sport1, which broadcasts to Switzerland and Austria in addition to Germany, made a two-year deal with Blizzard games live starting in the second season, partnering to form a new eSports1 sister channel.[118][119]

In early 2020, YouTube reached a three-year exclusive deal to serve as broadcaster for all Activision Blizzard esports events, including the Overwatch League, Call of Duty League, and Hearthstone, replacing Twitch. The deal was reported to be valued at $160 million.[68] Alongside the agreement, Activision Blizzard also reached an agreement to use Google Cloud Platform as its preferred infrastructure provider for its game servers.[120] After the expiration of the deal, the Overwatch League season would continue to be exclusively broadcast on YouTube.[121]

Reception edit

Some commentators observed that of the more than 100 players selected for teams for the first season, none of them were female.[122][123] Some noted the absence of Kim "Geguri" Se-yeon, a teenage South Korean player who is recognized as one of the highest-skilled Zarya players and who was the first female player to play in the Overwatch APEX league.[124] During the press day event prior to the start of the season, teams acknowledged they had considered signing on Geguri but noted issues with such an action. The Houston Outlaws said that there would have been a language barrier issue with her potential teammates, and complications related to co-ed housing for teams. The team also claimed that if they had brought her on board, there would have been issues from external commentators about whether it was a press stunt or an otherwise legitimate reason, and the nature of this legitimacy would shadow her career. Other teams like the London Spitfire and the New York Excelsior had looked to Geguri as a free agent but in the end desired to work from an established set of players that had already worked in leagues in the past. Team owners recognized that they want to make the player roster more diverse, but this in part requires making the community around Overwatch less toxic and more inviting.[124] Nanzer also said he would like to see further diversity in players in the league, but was aware that there are cultures where there is a social stigma against professional video game players that can be a barrier to achieve this.[18] By mid-February, during the Season 1 free agency window, Geguri was signed by the Shanghai Dragons, making her the first female player in the league.[125]

Additional concerns were raised following several league-issued fines and suspensions issued against a number of players based on their conduct. Journalists found that some players carried over the toxic nature from their days as YouTube or Twitch broadcasters, in which players would often routinely ridicule their opponents; many of the fines and suspensions follow from similar behavior displayed at the league level. The Overwatch player base outside of the league has also had issues of toxicity, which Blizzard has been trying to handle through better reporting tools. In addition to requiring the league players to follow the code of conduct, Blizzard is also watching how these players behave on off-league broadcasts, and would fine players if they engage in toxic or inappropriate behavior even if not part of a league session, as well as publicizing when the league takes such actions.[21][126][20][127] Some of this poor behavior had concerned at least one of the league's sponsors, HP, since the behavior becomes associated with their brand, though such problems were not unique to esports, according to HP product manager John Ludwig.[128]

After the conclusion of the first stage of the inaugural season, ESPN reported that the revenue projections for the league has exceeded its expectations, with some insiders claiming that the league's revenue was four times greater than initially planned; this was in part through its Twitch streaming deal and new advertisers, such as Toyota and T-Mobile, that came on board a few weeks into play.[129] Due to the success of the first season of the Overwatch League, Fortune named commissioner Nate Nanzer as one of their "40 Under 40" in 2018.[130]

Entering the third season, concern had been raised on the stress of the league on its players. Fifty players had dropped from the league during the first two years, with several of them citing the stress the league places on them and mental health issues.[131]

Litigation edit

In July 2017, a trademark dispute arose when Major League Baseball (MLB) association expressed concerns regarding the logo that Blizzard had registered for the Overwatch League. MLB argued that Blizzard's logo bore similarities to their own, raising the potential for confusion among consumers.[132] However, following the initial complaint, no further filings were made by Major League Baseball within the required dispute period. This suggested that either MLB decided to drop the dispute, or an undisclosed understanding was reached between MLB and the Overwatch League, allowing the league to continue using the logo.[133]

In July 2021, Dot Esports reported that the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) was investigating the Overwatch League in regards to their team soft cap on players' salaries. In contrast to professional sports leagues like the NFL, where the use of player unions allows the league to implement salary caps under the Supreme Court ruling in Amalgamated Meat Cutters v. Jewel Tea Co., the Overwatch League currently lacks such unions, which would make salary caps potentially a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. The league soft cap in 2020 was $1.6 million, and while a team could have salaries over that amount, they would be taxed as a luxury tax and would be considered detrimental.[134] In October 2021, Sports Business Journal reported that the OWL would be eliminating the luxury tax and maximum salary caps.[135] A settlement between the two parties was proposed, but according to a report by former ESPN writer Jacob Wolf in late 2022, Activision Blizzard refused to terms regarding particular requests that would endure after the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft.[136] The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit, and Activision Blizzard agreed to settle the suit in April 2023, with provisions that would prohibit it from implementing similar measures in the future in the Overwatch League, the Call of Duty League, or any other esports league it operates.[137]

Legacy edit

Activision Blizzard used the Overwatch League model to establish the Call of Duty League in 2019.[138][139] While the Call of Duty League was to have its inaugural season in 2020 with the same planned home/away format that the Overwatch League was planning the use in its third season, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Call of Duty League to switch to a fully online format.[140] The league was a central plot element in the seventeenth season episode "Brave N00b World" of American Dad! which was first broadcast in May 2020.[141]

Notes edit

  1. ^ The 2018 Grand Finals was a best-of-three series; London won 3–1 in the first match and 3–0 in the second.

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February 16, 2024
overwatch, league, professional, esports, league, video, game, overwatch, produced, developer, blizzard, entertainment, from, 2018, 2023, followed, model, other, traditional, north, american, professional, sporting, leagues, using, permanent, city, based, team. The Overwatch League OWL was a professional esports league for the video game Overwatch produced by its developer Blizzard Entertainment From 2018 to 2023 the Overwatch League followed the model of other traditional North American professional sporting leagues by using a set of permanent city based teams backed by separate ownership groups The league used the regular season and playoffs format rather than promotion and relegation used commonly in other esports and non North American leagues with players on the roster being assured a minimum annual salary benefits and a portion of winnings and revenue sharing based on team performance Overwatch LeagueGameOverwatchFounded2017Inaugural season2018Ceased2024Replaced byOverwatch Champions SeriesOwner s Blizzard EntertainmentCommissionerJohanna FariesNo of teams19Countries United States 11 China 3 Canada 2 South Korea 2 United Kingdom 1 Lastchampion s Florida MayhemMost titlesSan Francisco Shock 2 RelatedcompetitionsOverwatch ContendersOpen DivisionOfficial websiteoverwatchleague wbr comThe Overwatch League was announced in 2016 and secured commitments from 12 teams across the United States Europe and Asia each investing 20 million in franchise fees to participate in its 2018 inaugural season The league faced skeptics who questioned its potential success due to the lack of a proven concept and a game without a substantial esports history For the following season the Overwatch League brought in eight new franchises each investing between 35 million to 60 million In 2020 the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic led to widespread disruptions and forced the league abandon its original homestand model and shift to an online format where teams competed remotely from their respective regions While the suspension of in person events provided a temporary solution it also raised concerns about its financial viability However some team owners noted that not having live events allowed them to mitigate financial losses that they would have otherwise incurred During the 2021 season in the wake of a lawsuit filed against Activision Blizzard nearly all of the league s sponsors withdrew their support from the league In November 2022 a broken partnership with NetEase and Blizzard resulted in Overwatch 2 being banned in China As a result the league allowed Overwatch Contenders teams to compete in its Eastern Region for the following season and the league saw its first team leave as the Chengdu Hunters dissolved In January 2023 Overwatch League teams collectively initiated a collective bargaining process which resulted in the Overwatch League agreeing to waive all outstanding franchise fees By November 2023 Blizzard had announced that Overwatch esports was transitioning from the Overwatch League into a more traditional esports structure for the title which would become the Overwatch Champions Series OWCS in 2024 Contents 1 Format 1 1 Rules 1 2 Player eligibility and benefits 1 3 Open Division and Contenders 2 History 2 1 Concept 2 2 Buildout 2 3 Launch and expansion 2 4 Transition to online play 2 5 Overwatch 2 era 2 6 Termination 3 Teams 4 League championships 5 Broadcasting 6 Reception 7 Litigation 8 Legacy 9 Notes 10 References 11 External linksFormat editThe Overwatch League was owned by Blizzard Entertainment and run by Major League Gaming which is also owned by Blizzard s parent company Activision Blizzard 1 The Overwatch League played out similar to most North American professional sports leagues in which all teams played scheduled games against other teams to vie for position in the season s playoffs rather than the approach of team promotion and relegation more commonly used in other esports leagues 2 The league featured twenty teams split between two conferences based on their location East and West The East had eight teams while the West had twelve 3 The 2018 season consisted of non regulation pre season play a regular season divided into four stages and a post season playoffs tournament to determine the championship team for the season Each regular season stage lasted five weeks with each stage ending with a short playoff of the top teams based on that stage s records to determine stage champions 4 Teams played 40 matches across the regular season playing teams both within and outside their division The post season playoffs used teams overall standings across all stages The top standing team in both divisions received the top two seed in the playoffs followed by a fixed number of teams determined from across both divisions 4 An All Star weekend is also held featuring two division based teams selected by league representatives and voted on by fans The 2019 season format was similar to that of the previous season though stage playoffs for the fourth stage were eliminated and the number of matches was decreased to 28 among other changes The 2020 season introduced a number of changes including a home and away format where each team would host home games with up to eight teams per homestand event and the elimination of the stage format This format was eventually changed to a bimonthly tournament based season in April due to the global impact of the COVID 19 pandemic Teams are awarded with monetary prizes for how they place at the end of the regular season as well as for participating and placing high in the stage playoffs and post season tournament For example the first season had a total prize pool of US 3 5 million available with the top prize of 1 million awarded to the post season championship team 4 Rules edit See also Gameplay of Overwatch Overwatch is a five versus five team based first person shooter video game Broadly the goal is to work with team members to eliminate or repel opponents while attacking defending or competing for an objective Players select from the game s roster of thirty three heroes split between classes of Damage the main attackers Support providing healing and other buffs and Tank shielding teammates with high health amounts each with their own pre designed set of weapons and skill kits though each player on a team must play a unique hero Starting with stage four of the 2019 season each team must be composed of two Damage heroes two Supports and two Tanks A player can switch to an available hero within the same class if they are eliminated prior to respawning or if they return to their current spawn point which allows for teams to adjust their composition dynamically based on the current situation Within league play a regular season match featured two teams one selected as the home team the other as the visiting team playing a best of five format with each map featuring a predetermined map type following the same gameplay format as with normal competitive mode in Overwatch Control maps played on a best of three rounds and Assault Escort and Hybrid maps with each team having at least one chance as the attacking team The pool of specific maps from the standard Overwatch rotation were determined periodically allowing the teams to determine their player lineups and strategy while also changing the season s metagame 5 A team may have called in substitutes for players only between maps The team that won three maps first won the match If teams are tied after four games a tiebreaker game played on a Control map which cannot end in a tie was used to break the tie and determine the match winner Standings were based primarily on the overall match win loss record but ties were broken based on the total map win loss record Any further ties for tournament placement were broken based first on the head to head game win loss record then head to head match count Overwatch League games were played on a custom server controlled by Blizzard this server is also available to players for practices This version of the game received similar updates to the main commercial game adding new maps and heroes and altering the various hero abilities based on testing within the Public Test Realm However these updates were not applied immediately as they are for the commercial game but instead no more frequent than once every six weeks For example a late January 2018 patch which had significant effects on characters like Mercy and thus had potential to upset the metagame was not applied to the league server until mid February at the start of the second stage 6 7 However teams were given access to private servers updated to alongside the main release of Overwatch for them to practice and scrimmage against other teams to learn and develop strategies on updates and patches before experiencing them in official matches 8 For matches each player was provided with an identical desktop computer monitor and pair of noise cancelling headphones to play on to eliminate any handicaps related to computational or graphics processing but players may have used their preferred keyboard and mouse 9 Player eligibility and benefits edit nbsp The esports training facilities for the Dallas FuelWhile Overwatch is played in teams of five Overwatch League teams could have had up to six additional players that could be swapped between maps 10 A team s membership was locked at the start of the season but a mid season signing period allowed teams to bring in new players or trade players between teams 10 Following the end of the season teams had about one month to extend current player contracts bring on players from affiliated Overwatch Contenders teams or hold private tryout sessions Subsequently all unsigned players by the end of this period entered free agency during which players could negotiate with teams to become part of the roster in the case of when expansion teams were added there was a month long period where expansion teams had exclusive negotiating rights before other teams can engage A team s minimum roster was to be set prior to the season s pre season matches about two months prior to season play but they could expand and change this roster up until a specified date 11 12 The league was not region locked so teams could use players of any nationality to fill their ranks as long as the team ownership was based in that city or region For example the London Spitfire at the onset of the first season was entirely made up of South Korean players The only restriction on players is to be of at least 17 years old and to be able to travel internationally 13 14 Overwatch League players while on a team s contract were paid an annual salary As of the 2023 season a player s salary was a minimum of US 54 249 set by the league 15 Additionally the league offered players with health and retirement benefits as well as housing and training support Blizzard required team owners to provide the signed players with bonuses representing at least 50 of the team s winnings and revenue 16 Players could negotiate for larger amounts with their team s owners and larger portion of the bonus revenue sharing from tournament winnings and other income For example in 2017 Jay sinatraa Won secured the league s highest salary of 150 000 for his spot on the San Francisco Shock along with a 50 share of the team s bonuses 17 Players were expected to follow a code of conduct set by Blizzard while playing and representing the league and may have face suspension and fines for violating these in addition to any penalties the team itself may impose 18 A noted incident shortly after the league s launch saw Dallas Fuel s Felix xQc Lengyel suspended by the league for four games and fined 2 000 for making homophobic comments about another player the Fuel further suspended him for the remainder of the first stage of play 19 Following additional conduct violations in the second stage that led to further suspension xQc was released by the Fuel 20 Blizzard has since started its online discipline tracker in December 2018 to list players who have been temporarily suspended or fined for actions related to their behavior as representatives of the Overwatch League 21 Players as part of their benefits received media training to help with speaking to the press and public about their roles an issue that has been a problem in previous organized esport systems 22 Open Division and Contenders edit Professional teams in the league were given the opportunity to scout for new players through two additional competitive leagues run by Blizzard The Open Division first started in June 2017 allowed amateur teams to compete against each other in a structured season Those that qualify at the end of the season were seeded into a post season tournament with intra regional matches Players that complete all non playoff games for their team could earn a small amount of credit to Blizzard s digital storefront while regional winning teams could earn higher prize payouts The Open division was played across seven different regions Australia China Europe Korea North America Pacific and South America 23 Players or teams can then move up from the Open Division into Overwatch Contenders which was a minor league to the Overwatch League Contenders was launched in 2018 to merge existing regional tournaments into a structure to support the Overwatch League Contenders consisted of several global divisions with a number of teams within each which may include both professional and amateur players Contender teams may have been affiliated with an Overwatch League team as an academy team and up to two players per academy team could be signed to two way contracts to be moved between their academy team and Overwatch League team 11 Contenders was launched in the first half of 2018 with five divisions with 12 teams each Korea replacing the Overwatch Apex tournament China replacing the Overwatch Premier Series and Pacific replacing Overwatch Pacific Championship for other Asian Pacific countries and adding in North America and European divisions Prior to the second 2018 Contenders season Blizzard added two additional divisions for Australia and South America bringing the total to seven The top eight teams from the Open Division within each region are also invited to Contenders Trials a weekly promotion and relegation tournament to compete in the following week of Contenders 24 For its second season in 2019 Blizzard adjusted the format by reducing the number of teams in each region to eight while dividing the North American region into East and West divisions Blizzard also added a regional limit of the number of import players which are those that live outside the division s region to a maximum of three 25 These changes were reverted for the 2020 season History editConcept edit The development of Overwatch began in approximately 2013 coinciding with the rising popularity of esports and spectator driven video gaming fueled by the accessibility of live streaming platforms 9 However the game s development was not dedicated to esports Lead director Jeff Kaplan based on Blizzard s past experiences with esports emphasized the importance of avoiding excessive commitment to esports too early in the game s lifespan Instead they chose to closely observe the player community and incorporate any esports related goals based on their observations 26 During the beta period of Overwatch which lasted from late 2015 to mid 2016 Blizzard observed that players were organizing ad hoc competitions and tournaments for the game This led to Blizzard s consideration of the potential impact if they took charge of formalizing and structuring these competitions Nate Nanzer who later became the league s commissioner noted that with the right approach and investment they could monetize esports in a manner comparable to traditional sports Building on this insight Blizzard laid the groundwork for what would eventually become the Overwatch League 9 Part of this included introducing competitive features directly into the main Overwatch game such as ranked play allowing players to climb a rankings ladder and attract the attention of esports team organizers 1 In October 2016 Bobby Kotick the CEO of Activision Blizzard the parent company of Blizzard first publicly mentioned the Overwatch League Kotick highlighted the viewership of user generated esports content which had already reached around 100 million surpassing the viewership of some professional NFL and NBA games Recognizing this potential Kotick envisioned the Overwatch League as a means to deliver professional content and tap into this extensive viewership 27 The Overwatch League was formally announced at BlizzCon in November 2016 2 During the announcement Blizzard revealed their plans for the league which would feature franchised teams employing players to compete in both live arenas and via video streaming platforms These teams would provide players with salaries benefits and opportunities for team and player development 2 28 Blizzard s approach to the league differed from traditional esports models that used relegation and promotion systems such as the one employed in the League of Legends Championship Series Instead they opted to follow the American model prevalent in more traditional physical sports 2 29 Kotick expressed his belief that the Overwatch League represented an unprecedented venture in esports emphasizing that nothing of this scale had been attempted before 2 28 He also emphasized the importance of adopting a model similar to the NFL in terms of league structure and financial opportunities to attract substantial investments and establish long lasting franchises within the Overwatch League He described this approach as a forever investment 30 Blizzard aimed to cover the costs of running the league through traditional revenue streams commonly seen in professional sports leagues including promotion advertisements and physical merchandise Additionally owing to the digital nature of esports Kotick said that they had the opportunity to generate revenue from virtual league based items offered to fans as well as increased sales of Overwatch and other games He also expressed that they could explore more lucrative over the top advertising opportunities that wouldn t exist in traditional sports Kotick expressed confidence in the league s future financial success While certain revenue streams might take time to fully materialize he noted significant traction and enthusiasm from fans before the inaugural season began 31 Buildout edit nbsp New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was one of the first businesspeople approached to own an Overwatch League team Blizzard sought out potential team owners with a focus on establishing localized teams tied to specific geographic areas The company believed that having such local teams would generate greater interest in esports among spectators and potential sponsors as it would create new opportunities for fans to engage and support their hometown teams A meeting for prospective team owners took place at BlizzCon 2016 shortly after the league s official announcement Notable attendees included Robert Kraft the owner of the New England Patriots and Stan Kroenke the owner of the Los Angeles Rams 28 During the formative stages of the league Blizzard appointed Steve Bornstein as the company s esports chair Bornstein formerly the president of ABC Sports and CEO of NFL Network assumed a role in shaping the broadcast and presentation of Overwatch League games 9 Blizzard anticipated the Overwatch League would have a seven figure payoff for the winning team at the end of a season The inaugural season of the league which was initially intended to be a shortened one was planned to start in Q3 2017 Subsequent full length seasons were scheduled to commence in 2018 with the league incorporating half year long seasonal breaks beginning in Q4 of that year 29 Prior to the league s official start Blizzard planned to host a combine during which players would be invited to try out for guaranteed team contracts 32 After the initial announcement in November 2016 Blizzard remained tight lipped about the Overwatch League for several months leading to some speculation that the league might be encountering challenges In May 2017 ESPN reported that the league was indeed facing difficulties in securing franchise deals and attributed these issues to two primary factors Firstly the high base cost of starting a franchise which began at 20 million and could be even higher in more urban markets like New York City and Los Angeles presented a significant barrier This entry fee was substantially higher compared to buy ins for other esports leagues Secondly another obstacle was the absence of revenue sharing until 2021 This meant that potential franchise owners could face difficulties in recovering their initial investment costs 33 However during this time Activision Blizzard was actively engaging with potential team owners opting to withhold extensive announcements until they could present comprehensive details 34 The Kraft Group headed by Robert Kraft emerged as a key team owner for the league Kraft had shown previous interest in investing in esports and had met with Bobby Kotick in 2013 when Kotick was exploring investment opportunities in an NFL franchise During that meeting Kraft revealed their intent to seek investment in an esports team Over the next few years Kraft evaluated various esports competitions but was not entirely comfortable with their grassroots nature However when Blizzard introduced the Overwatch League during BlizzCon 2016 it captured Kraft s attention By March 2017 a deal was successfully struck between Kraft and Activision securing the first team ownership group for the Overwatch League 35 Once the Kraft Group committed to supporting a Boston based team later named the Boston Uprising this acted as a catalyst leading to the formation of six additional teams in the league 36 The Kraft Group themselves helped to convince some of the other owners to buy into the Overwatch League 35 In July 2017 Blizzard revealed the first seven teams and their respective owners for the Overwatch League 37 Over the following months additional teams were announced eventually finalizing a total of twelve teams by mid December 38 nbsp Blizzard Arena hosted nearly every Overwatch League match from 2018 to 2019 In September 2017 Blizzard announced that they would make permanent use of Studio 1 at The Burbank Studios in Burbank California and would convert it into the Blizzard Arena 39 Having a dedicated arena served several purposes Firstly it aimed to elevate the status of the Overwatch League presenting it as a highly orchestrated event distinct from other esports tournaments Additionally the Blizzard Arena provided an opportunity for players to build stronger connections with their fanbase Blizzard conducted Overwatch Contenders events in the Blizzard Arena in October 2017 This allowed them to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments ahead of the Overwatch League pre season which commenced in December 2017 40 Launch and expansion edit To support spectating on broadcast and streaming media Blizzard implemented cosmetic modifications to the game Each team received dedicated character skins featuring their team colors names and logos These customized skins were used during matches to easily identify and represent their respective teams 41 To allow fans outside of the league to show their support Blizzard introduced a special in game currency called OWL Tokens Players could purchase a character s team skin using OWL Tokens A percentage of the revenue generated from these purchases was allocated to the teams themselves providing them with additional financial support 42 43 Initially OWL Tokens were obtainable through an in game purchase with real currency However during the first season viewers could receive tokens by watching the live broadcast of games through any official Overwatch League channel 44 Blizzard also worked to create an AI based cameraman capable of following the action of the game and selecting key instant replays 41 During regular season matches Blizzard employed a team of approximately 80 to 100 people to manage the game and its broadcast This team included on screen hosts interviewers play by play announcers or shoutcasters broadcasting and technical support personnel and observers who used the AI cameraman to monitor matches from various angles Additionally there were broadcasting and technical support personnel involved in the production 9 For broadcasting and commentary Blizzard enlisted individuals such as Christopher MonteCristo Mykles Erik DoA Lonnquist Matt Mr X Morello and Mitchell Uber Leslie to shoutcast the matches 45 Blizzard released an Overwatch League app in early January 2018 just before the first season commenced The app provided schedules results highlights and other essential details about the league s progress 46 Preseason play for the inaugural season of the Overwatch League commenced on December 6 2017 47 The first regular season game took place on January 10 2018 with the Los Angeles Valiant defeating the San Francisco Shock 48 The initial night of play through the English broadcast on Twitch garnered over 415 000 viewers while never dropping below 285 000 once play started 49 Blizzard reported that during the first week over 10 million viewers watched league play across all streaming platforms and the Blizzard Arena was sold out throughout the entire week 50 However by the end of the season the league faced challenges in filling seats at Blizzard Arena According to a former esports executive it was not uncommon to have only around 100 people in the audience To address this issue the company resorted to busing in employees or distributing free tickets to students when high profile individuals like Kotick or other VIPs were expected to attend However this approach was seen as incentivizing undesirable behavior as it artificially inflated attendance numbers to impress potential team owners and sell them on the promise of a thriving live audience 51 As the postseason began Blizzard and Disney signed a deal to air postseason games on ABC ESPN and Disney XD alongside the official Twitch streams with the partnership extending into the second season 52 During its first season the league secured over 200 million in sponsorships and broadcast rights Major sponsors included Intel Omen by HP Toyota T Mobile and Spotify with most deals valued at over 10 million each 53 The league ultimately exceeded its 2018 projected revenue of 22 million 51 nbsp The London Spitfire won the 2018 Grand Finals The London Spitfire became the first champions of Overwatch League after defeating the Philadelphia Fusion in the Grand Finals which took place before 22 000 fans at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn New York on July 27 28 54 The finals were watched by more than 10 8 million people with a viewership comparable to regular season NFL games 55 In March 2018 Overwatch League executives began to search for new expansion teams particularly in international markets as only one team the Shanghai Dragons were owned by a foreign corporation at the time Despite initial skepticism and doubts about the league s potential Overwatch League s revenue had already exceeded expectations reaching almost four times its original projection from December 2017 to February 2018 The franchise fee for expansion teams was expected to be higher than the inaugural season estimated to be between 35 million to 60 million 56 In September 2018 Blizzard announced the addition of eight new teams for the second season the Atlanta Reign Guangzhou Charge Hangzhou Spark Toronto Defiant Paris Eternal Washington Justice Vancouver Titans and Chengdu Hunters This brought the total number of teams in the league to 20 57 nbsp The Dallas Fuel Homestand event held at the Allen Event Center in Allen Texas during the 2019 seasonFor the second season the regular season was split into four stages and each team played a total of 28 games with seven games per stage This reduced the number of games from 40 which was played in the first season addressing concerns related to player fatigue and mental health 58 Most regular season games were played at the Blizzard Arena in Los Angeles but select Homestand Weekends matches took place at locations in Dallas Atlanta and Los Angeles testing the feasibility of home and away games for the following season 59 60 In May 2019 during the middle of the season league commissioner Nate Nanzer announced that he would be leaving Blizzard to join Epic Games Pete Vlastelica who was the CEO and president of Activision Blizzard Esports took over as the league commissioner following Nanzer s departure 61 The following month Immortals Gaming Club IGC the parent company of the Los Angeles Valiant acquired Infinite Esports the parent company of Houston Outlaws marking the first sale of any Overwatch League franchise 62 Since one company may not own more than one OWL franchise IGC sold the Outlaws to the Beasley Media Group in November 2019 63 Beginning in the second season Fanatics became the league s outfitter responsible for producing and selling team and OWL related clothing and merchandise 64 Blizzard also signed a multi year deal with Coca Cola to become the official non alcoholic beverage sponsor for various Overwatch esports events including the Overwatch League Overwatch Contenders Open Division Overwatch World Cup and BlizzCon 65 Bud Light became the league s alcoholic beverage sponsor excluding in China 66 Furthermore Xfinity signed on as a sponsor for the 2019 Overwatch League playoffs and Grand Finals 67 Throughout the second season the overall global viewership was estimated at 218 000 per minute on average across all games with a majority of viewers coming from outside the United States 30 Transition to online play edit Ahead of the 2020 season Blizzard signed a three year deal with YouTube to be the exclusive broadcaster of the Overwatch League This agreement replaced Twitch as the primary streaming platform for the league s matches As part of the arrangement Blizzard also established Google Cloud Platform as the preferred infrastructure provider for the game servers 68 69 In the third season of the Overwatch League significant changes were made to fully adopt the away and home format allowing games to take place in home arenas for each team 70 The home arenas were not required to be dedicated esports venues and some teams collaborated with their local cities to develop such spaces that could also host other sports and entertainment events For instance the Philadelphia Fusion s owner Comcast Spectacor announced plans to construct the 50 million Fusion Arena by the 2021 season 71 but during the 2020 season they scheduled homestand games at the Metropolitan Opera House in Philadelphia and Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City 30 Throughout the 2020 season there were 52 homestand events planned with each team hosting at least two in their home arenas Teams that already secured larger arenas were set to host additional regular season events to support the newer teams and arenas in becoming better established For example Dallas Washington and Guangzhou each had five homestand events scheduled 70 The initial schedules were managed by the teams but Blizzard anticipated taking over scheduling for the 2021 season Blizzard provided flexibility for teams to plan the 2020 schedule and develop logistics for hosting homestand events including providing accommodations and practice areas for visiting teams during those weekends This expansion was coordinated with the Call of Duty League CDL a professional esports league founded by Activision in 2020 which also followed the city based model with many teams owned by the same entities as OWL teams Both leagues faced similar logistics challenges and coordinated efforts when applicable 72 Moreover the previously established divisions were converted into conferences with each conference having two divisions The stages were eliminated and teams continued to play 28 games throughout the season with a planned mid season All Star break 73 Looking forward League Commissioner Pete Vlastelica expressed interest in potential expansion of the league with a primary focus on introducing more teams from Europe 70 Due to the restrictions imposed in response to the COVID 19 pandemic the league had to suspend all homestand events and transitioned to online play just a month into the 2020 season 74 Blizzard Entertainment announced its intention to return to the homestand format as soon as it was safe and logistically feasible 75 With the closure of entertainment venues in Los Angeles 76 the Overwatch League production team including casters and analysts moved to remote setups with everyone working from home for the remainder of the season 77 As part of the adaptation to the new circumstances the league abandoned the original conferences and instead organized teams into two regions to account for their geographical locations Teams exclusively competed within their respective regions during the regular season and inter regional matches only occurred at the end of the playoffs period Additionally the 2020 season introduced mid season tournaments held three times throughout the regular season all still split by region 78 According to two owners the pandemic had an unexpected positive impact on teams as it halted the financial losses incurred from live events However the suspension of in person games also challenged the league s original justification for its existence leading some teams to contemplate not paying franchise fees in 2020 Two individuals familiar with the situation revealed that Activision Blizzard permitted teams to postpone the fees and provided a 2 million payroll credit As part of the agreement teams were required to sign a release stating they would not pursue legal action against the company as reported by two other sources 51 At the end of the 2020 season commissioner Pete Vlastelica stepped down to take on a new position 79 He was replaced by Johanna Faries the commissioner of the Call of Duty League who became the commissioner of both leagues 80 81 During the fourth season of the Overwatch League the league continued to adopt regional online play due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic However some live events were initially planned to take place in China 82 The OWL expanded on its tournament format from the previous year introducing four midseason tournaments throughout the regular season 83 In July 2021 the league announced that it would host its two postseason events live at different venues the playoffs would be held at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington Texas and the 2021 Grand Finals would take place at the Galen Center in Los Angeles California 84 However due to increasing risks related to COVID 19 and the Delta variant as well as visa difficulties these live events were later canceled and shifted to online play 85 86 During the season the OWL also faced sponsor pullbacks with many of its partners withdrawing their sponsorships following a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing DFEH against Activision Blizzard for sexual harassment and discrimination within the company Sponsors such as Coca Cola Kellogg s State Farm and T Mobile withdrew their support from the league 87 88 By mid August 2021 the only sponsor present during Overwatch League broadcasts was voice over Internet Protocol software company TeamSpeak 89 Overwatch 2 era edit nbsp For the first time since 2019 the Grand Finals were played live in 2022 For the fifth season of the OWL the league played on an early release of Overwatch 2 90 The season which began in early May 2022 faced several challenges on multiple fronts Notably there were no known sponsors for the season as of June 9 2022 Moreover the league underwent significant changes in its leadership during this time as five top executives left Activision Blizzard Esports or transitioned to other departments since the start of the season Furthermore the company made adjustments to its operations deciding to outsource its broadcast and event production to a third party 51 During the midseason tournaments viewership numbers experienced a significant decrease compared to the previous season with a reduction of up to 40 5 91 However after the official release of Overwatch 2 on October 5 2022 the league saw a surge in viewership The 2022 playoffs reached an live average minute audience of 250 000 surpassing previous viewership records from when the league was broadcast on Twitch in 2018 and 2019 The 2022 Grand Finals were held live at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim California marking the first time that the Grand Finals were held live since 2019 92 In terms of sponsorships the league secured a deal with Butterfinger for the playoffs marking their first new sponsorship since 2021 93 During the offseason leading up to the 2023 season the league faced challenges with uncertainties about its future as broken partnership with NetEase caused disruptions in the East Region as certain Blizzard games including Overwatch 2 were banned in China To adapt to this in the East Region an open ecosystem approach was implemented allowing Overwatch Contenders teams to compete alongside Overwatch League teams A preseason pro am tournament was also held in the West Region where Overwatch Contenders teams competed against established OWL teams The regular season was divided into two stages Spring and Summer and featured only one midseason tournament 94 Several teams underwent significant changes in branding and regions during this offseason as well The Paris Eternal relocated to Las Vegas and rebranded as the Vegas Eternal making them the first team in the league to switch cities 95 Similarly the Philadelphia Fusion shifted their base to Seoul and adopted a new identity as the Seoul Infernal 96 Not all teams remained intact as the Chengdu Hunters disbanded 97 In January 2023 in an effort to address operating costs and viewership challenges Overwatch League teams collectively initiated a bargaining process They enlisted the representation of Sheridans a British law firm to negotiate with Activision Blizzard This collective bargaining process led to an agreement between OverActive Media the owner of the Toronto Defiant and the Overwatch League As part of this agreement the Toronto Defiant signed a sponsorship deal with the league and the Overwatch League agreed to waive the outstanding franchise fees owed by all teams 98 99 Termination edit On July 19 2023 Activision Blizzard released its second quarter earnings report According to the report following the conclusion of the 2023 season franchise owners voted on an updated operating agreement Should the teams opt not to continue under the updated agreement a termination fee of 6 million would be payable to each participating team entity amounting to a total fee of approximately 114 million 100 On November 8 2023 an OWL spokesperson confirmed that Blizzard would be transitioning away from its current model and would be working on building a new framework for competitive Overwatch as a two thirds majority of OWL franchisees voted to depart from the league Reports suggested that the league might be operated by a third party tournament organizer in 2024 101 102 On January 23 2024 Blizzard announced that the Overwatch League was officially folded on the same day they announced a multi year deal with ESL FACEIT Group and WDG Esports to create the Overwatch Champions Series OWCS to replace the OWL 103 104 Teams editThe league launched in 2018 with twelve teams each based in a global city Eight additional teams were added in the league s 2019 season Prior to the 2020 season the teams were divided between two divisions the Atlantic Division with the American East Coast Eastern Canadian and European teams and the Pacific Division with the American West Coast Western Canadian and Asian teams 105 4 106 With the 2020 season the two divisions were elevated to conferences keeping the same team distributions but with now two divisions within each conference 73 Additionally teams began playing in home away games with each team having one or more venues to host homestand weekends 73 However due to the emergence of the COVID 19 pandemic all live matches were cancelled near the beginning of the 2020 season and teams were divided into regions 107 Below was the region split as of the 2023 season nbsp Dynasty Infernal Dragons Spark Charge nbsp Eternal Titans Shock Valiant Gladiators Fuel Outlaws Reign Mayhem Justice Defiant Excelsior Uprising nbsp Spitfire East Region West Region Team Location Joined Owner 108 Academy teamEast RegionDallas Fuel nbsp Dallas 2018 OpTic Gaming Team Envy inactive Guangzhou Charge nbsp Guangzhou 2019 Nenking Group Ultra Prime Academy inactive Hangzhou Spark nbsp Hangzhou 2019 Bilibili Bilibili Gaming inactive Seoul Dynasty nbsp Seoul 2018 Gen G Esports Gen G Global AcademySeoul Infernal nbsp Seoul 2018 Comcast Spectacor Fusion University inactive T1 inactive Shanghai Dragons nbsp Shanghai 2018 NetEase Team CC inactive West RegionAtlanta Reign nbsp Atlanta 2019 Atlanta Esports Ventures ATL Academy inactive Boston Uprising nbsp Boston 2018 Kraft Group Uprising Academy inactive Florida Mayhem nbsp Miami Orlando 2018 Misfits Gaming Mayhem Academy inactive Houston Outlaws nbsp Houston 2018 Beasley Media Group GG Esports Academy inactive London Spitfire nbsp London 2018 Cloud9 British Hurricane inactive Los Angeles Gladiators nbsp Los Angeles 2018 Kroenke Sports amp Entertainment Gladiators Legion inactive Los Angeles Valiant nbsp Los Angeles 2018 Immortals Gaming Club NoneNew York Excelsior nbsp New York City 2018 NYXL NYXL AcademySan Francisco Shock nbsp San Francisco 2018 NRG Esports O2 BlastToronto Defiant nbsp Toronto 2019 OverActive Media Montreal Rebellion inactive Vancouver Titans nbsp Vancouver 2019 Canucks Sports amp Entertainment NoneVegas Eternal nbsp Las Vegas 2019 DM Esports Eternal Academy inactive Washington Justice nbsp Washington D C 2019 Washington Esports Ventures NoneLeague championships editAs of the 2022 season 20 different teams have competed in the league with four having won at least one Grand Finals title Season Champions Score Runners up2018 a London Spitfire 2 0 Philadelphia Fusion2019 San Francisco Shock 4 0 Vancouver Titans2020 San Francisco Shock 4 2 Seoul Dynasty2021 Shanghai Dragons 4 0 Atlanta Reign2022 Dallas Fuel 4 3 San Francisco Shock2023 Florida Mayhem 4 0 Houston OutlawsBroadcasting editShortly prior to the beginning of the 2018 regular season Blizzard reached a two year deal with Twitch to be the main streaming broadcaster of the Overwatch League outside of China reported to be valued at 90 million 109 The service carried streams in English French and Korean while users who linked their Twitch account to their Battle net account would also be eligible for chances to receive in game items for Overwatch while watching broadcasts 110 A subscription service known as the All Access Pass also allowed users access to private streams and chat rooms with players coaches league officials and announcers in game currency to purchase team skins emotes for use on Twitch chats and discounts at Blizzard s store 111 This feature was expanded for the 2019 season to include the ability for viewers to use the command center app introduced during the 2018 Overwatch World Cup to be able to view matches from different camera angles in real time 112 The league also posted highlights on Twitter starting with the first season s All Star Weekend and continuing into the second season and also produced a weekly pre game show called Watchpoint 113 On July 11 2018 Blizzard also announced a U S television deal with ESPN through the 2019 season under which coverage of the 2018 playoffs would be simulcast across ESPN networks including the semi finals airing across ESPN2 ESPNews and Disney ABC Television Group sister channel Disney XD the first night of the final airing on the main ESPN network marking its first ever primetime broadcast of an esports event continuing on Disney XD the next day and a highlights package the following Sunday on ABC 114 115 The arrangement continued into the 2019 season with Disney XD adding regular season broadcasts and ABC adding broadcast television simulcasts of the Stage 1 and Stage 2 finals and the all star event 116 This partnership included broadcasting rights to the Overwatch World Cup as well 52 ESPN s sister Canadian network TSN also carried broadcasts on its platforms including television encores of matches involving the league s new Canadian franchises 117 German sports channel Sport1 which broadcasts to Switzerland and Austria in addition to Germany made a two year deal with Blizzard games live starting in the second season partnering to form a new eSports1 sister channel 118 119 In early 2020 YouTube reached a three year exclusive deal to serve as broadcaster for all Activision Blizzard esports events including the Overwatch League Call of Duty League and Hearthstone replacing Twitch The deal was reported to be valued at 160 million 68 Alongside the agreement Activision Blizzard also reached an agreement to use Google Cloud Platform as its preferred infrastructure provider for its game servers 120 After the expiration of the deal the Overwatch League season would continue to be exclusively broadcast on YouTube 121 Reception editSome commentators observed that of the more than 100 players selected for teams for the first season none of them were female 122 123 Some noted the absence of Kim Geguri Se yeon a teenage South Korean player who is recognized as one of the highest skilled Zarya players and who was the first female player to play in the Overwatch APEX league 124 During the press day event prior to the start of the season teams acknowledged they had considered signing on Geguri but noted issues with such an action The Houston Outlaws said that there would have been a language barrier issue with her potential teammates and complications related to co ed housing for teams The team also claimed that if they had brought her on board there would have been issues from external commentators about whether it was a press stunt or an otherwise legitimate reason and the nature of this legitimacy would shadow her career Other teams like the London Spitfire and the New York Excelsior had looked to Geguri as a free agent but in the end desired to work from an established set of players that had already worked in leagues in the past Team owners recognized that they want to make the player roster more diverse but this in part requires making the community around Overwatch less toxic and more inviting 124 Nanzer also said he would like to see further diversity in players in the league but was aware that there are cultures where there is a social stigma against professional video game players that can be a barrier to achieve this 18 By mid February during the Season 1 free agency window Geguri was signed by the Shanghai Dragons making her the first female player in the league 125 Additional concerns were raised following several league issued fines and suspensions issued against a number of players based on their conduct Journalists found that some players carried over the toxic nature from their days as YouTube or Twitch broadcasters in which players would often routinely ridicule their opponents many of the fines and suspensions follow from similar behavior displayed at the league level The Overwatch player base outside of the league has also had issues of toxicity which Blizzard has been trying to handle through better reporting tools In addition to requiring the league players to follow the code of conduct Blizzard is also watching how these players behave on off league broadcasts and would fine players if they engage in toxic or inappropriate behavior even if not part of a league session as well as publicizing when the league takes such actions 21 126 20 127 Some of this poor behavior had concerned at least one of the league s sponsors HP since the behavior becomes associated with their brand though such problems were not unique to esports according to HP product manager John Ludwig 128 After the conclusion of the first stage of the inaugural season ESPN reported that the revenue projections for the league has exceeded its expectations with some insiders claiming that the league s revenue was four times greater than initially planned this was in part through its Twitch streaming deal and new advertisers such as Toyota and T Mobile that came on board a few weeks into play 129 Due to the success of the first season of the Overwatch League Fortune named commissioner Nate Nanzer as one of their 40 Under 40 in 2018 130 Entering the third season concern had been raised on the stress of the league on its players Fifty players had dropped from the league during the first two years with several of them citing the stress the league places on them and mental health issues 131 Litigation editIn July 2017 a trademark dispute arose when Major League Baseball MLB association expressed concerns regarding the logo that Blizzard had registered for the Overwatch League MLB argued that Blizzard s logo bore similarities to their own raising the potential for confusion among consumers 132 However following the initial complaint no further filings were made by Major League Baseball within the required dispute period This suggested that either MLB decided to drop the dispute or an undisclosed understanding was reached between MLB and the Overwatch League allowing the league to continue using the logo 133 In July 2021 Dot Esports reported that the United States Department of Justice DOJ was investigating the Overwatch League in regards to their team soft cap on players salaries In contrast to professional sports leagues like the NFL where the use of player unions allows the league to implement salary caps under the Supreme Court ruling in Amalgamated Meat Cutters v Jewel Tea Co the Overwatch League currently lacks such unions which would make salary caps potentially a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 The league soft cap in 2020 was 1 6 million and while a team could have salaries over that amount they would be taxed as a luxury tax and would be considered detrimental 134 In October 2021 Sports Business Journal reported that the OWL would be eliminating the luxury tax and maximum salary caps 135 A settlement between the two parties was proposed but according to a report by former ESPN writer Jacob Wolf in late 2022 Activision Blizzard refused to terms regarding particular requests that would endure after the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft 136 The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit and Activision Blizzard agreed to settle the suit in April 2023 with provisions that would prohibit it from implementing similar measures in the future in the Overwatch League the Call of Duty League or any other esports league it operates 137 Legacy editActivision Blizzard used the Overwatch League model to establish the Call of Duty League in 2019 138 139 While the Call of Duty League was to have its inaugural season in 2020 with the same planned home away format that the Overwatch League was planning the use in its third season the COVID 19 pandemic forced the Call of Duty League to switch to a fully online format 140 The league was a central plot element in the seventeenth season episode Brave N00b World of American Dad which was first broadcast in May 2020 141 Notes edit The 2018 Grand Finals was a best of three series London won 3 1 in the first match and 3 0 in the second References edit a b Crecente Brian February 28 2018 Overwatch Birth of a Professional Esports League Glixel Archived from the original on March 2 2018 Retrieved March 2 2018 a b c d e Molina Brett November 5 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Returns With All New Champions Series For 2024 Forbes Retrieved January 23 2024 Sinclair Brendan September 20 2017 Overwatch League finalizes season 1 teams GamesIndustry biz Archived from the original on October 26 2017 Retrieved October 26 2017 Marshall Cass October 10 2018 The Overwatch League season 2 format for 2019 has been revealed Heroes Never Die Archived from the original on October 11 2018 Retrieved October 10 2018 Amenabar Ted March 27 2020 Overwatch League teams face a reset after pandemic spoils its grand plans The Washington Post Archived from the original on March 29 2022 Retrieved March 24 2022 Daniel Tom May 2 2023 Who owns every Overwatch League franchise Esports Insider Archived from the original on May 5 2023 Retrieved May 5 2023 Fischer Ben January 9 2018 Sources Overwatch League Twitch Deal Worth At Least 90M Sports Business Daily Archived from the original on January 10 2018 Retrieved January 9 2018 Concepcion Miguel January 9 2018 At The Last Minute Blizzard Strikes Overwatch League Deal With Twitch GameSpot Archived from the original on January 10 2018 Retrieved January 9 2018 Arif Shabana April 3 2018 Overwatch League All Access Pass Includes Twitch Emotes in Game Skins and More for 30 IGN Archived from the original on February 1 2019 Retrieved January 31 2019 Webster Andrew January 31 2019 Blizzard s Overwatch League has a robust new spectator tool if you pay for an all access pass The Verge Archived from the original on January 31 2019 Retrieved January 31 2019 Locklear Mallory August 23 2018 An Overwatch League preview show is coming to Twitter Engadget Archived from the original on August 23 2018 Retrieved August 23 2018 Disney Activision Deal Will Put Overwatch League On ESPN ABC Sports Business Journal July 11 2018 Archived from the original on June 15 2020 Retrieved March 2 2020 Disney signs multi year deal to broadcast Overwatch League across ESPN and ABC platforms Awful Announcing July 11 2018 Archived from the original on March 2 2020 Retrieved March 2 2020 Overwatch League to air on ESPN Disney XD ABC ESPN com February 7 2019 Archived from the original on March 2 2020 Retrieved March 2 2020 TSN Teams Up with the OVERWATCH LEAGUE To Deliver Live Coverage of the Stage 2 Playoffs May 9 12 Bell Media Archived from the original on March 2 2020 Retrieved March 2 2020 Shah Saqib January 29 2019 Overwatch League will air on live TV in Germany Austria and Switzerland Engadget Archived from the original on January 29 2019 Retrieved January 29 2019 Wicks Alisha January 29 2019 Esports1 partners with Blizzard to broadcast the Overwatch League Esports Insider Archived from the original on August 11 2020 Retrieved March 2 2020 Spangler Todd January 24 2020 YouTube Scores Exclusive Streaming for Activision Blizzard s E Sports Including Overwatch and Call of Duty Leagues Variety Archived from the original on May 26 2020 Retrieved January 24 2020 Martinello Eva April 21 2023 Overwatch League fans disappointed 2023 Opening Weekend won t be on major streaming platform Dot Esports Retrieved July 19 2023 Green Holly January 11 2018 No Girls Allowed Dissecting The Gender Divide in Overwatch League Paste Archived from the original on January 11 2018 Retrieved January 12 2018 Reed Chris January 11 2018 Women esports players face an uphill battle in Overwatch League The Daily Dot Archived from the original on January 12 2018 Retrieved January 12 2018 a b Grayson Nathan January 10 2018 No Overwatch League Team Signed The Game s Most Notable Female Pro To Their Roster Kotaku Archived from the original on January 12 2018 Retrieved January 12 2018 Webster Andrew February 14 2018 The Overwatch League signs its first female player The Verge Archived from the original on February 14 2018 Retrieved February 14 2018 Alexander Julia March 6 2018 Overwatch League needs to figure out what it means to be a professional player Polygon Archived from the original on March 11 2018 Retrieved March 12 2018 Alexander Julia March 12 2018 Overwatch casters players point to Twitch chat toxicity in wake of xQc departure Polygon Archived from the original on March 12 2018 Retrieved March 12 2018 Calvin Alex March 27 2018 Overwatch League sponsor HP Omen says bad player behaviour does make it nervous PC Games Insider Archived from the original on March 27 2018 Retrieved March 27 2018 Wolf Jacob February 11 2018 Overwatch League expansion will face serious stumbling blocks overseas ESPN Archived from the original on February 12 2018 Retrieved February 12 2018 40 Under 40 37 Nate Nanzer 39 Fortune July 19 2018 Archived from the original on August 2 2018 Retrieved August 2 2018 Castello Jay January 28 2020 Don t worry about the Overwatch League worry about its workers Polygon Retrieved January 28 2020 Saed Sharif July 19 2017 Major League Baseball could oppose Blizzard s logo trademark for Overwatch League because it believes they re too similar VG247 Archived from the original on August 10 2017 Retrieved July 19 2017 Carpenter Nicole July 27 2017 Major League Baseball won t oppose Overwatch League logo Dot Esports Archived from the original on January 12 2018 Retrieved January 11 2018 Wolf Jacob Richardson Liz July 2 2021 U S Department of Justice opens antitrust inquiry into Overwatch League s soft salary cap competitive balance tax Dot Esports Archived from the original on September 3 2023 Retrieved July 2 2021 Hitt Kevin October 14 2021 Sources Overwatch Call of Duty League dump competitive balance tax and maximum player salary cap Sports Business Journal Archived from the original on October 14 2021 Retrieved October 15 2021 Sinclair Brendan November 8 2022 Activision Blizzard settlement talks in esports antitrust case break down GamesIndustry biz Archived from the original on November 8 2022 Retrieved November 8 2022 Parrish Ash April 3 2023 Activision settles with Justice Department for limiting esports players salaries The Verge Archived from the original on April 3 2023 Retrieved April 4 2023 Wolf Jacob February 12 2019 Activision Blizzard announces layoffs Call of Duty league geolocation ESPN Archived from the original on January 26 2020 Retrieved January 26 2020 Fitch Adam October 29 2019 Call of Duty League s inaugural season commences on January 24 Esports Insider Archived from the original on January 6 2020 Retrieved January 25 2020 Call of Duty League announce event cancellations and online play Call of Duty League March 12 2020 Archived from the original on March 13 2020 Retrieved March 15 2020 Parrish Ash May 19 2020 Someone At American Dad Is A Big Fan Of The Overwatch League Kotaku Archived from the original on May 26 2020 Retrieved May 19 2020 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Overwatch League Official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Overwatch League amp oldid 1201452639, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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