Overwatch league expanded and ready for the road
By Jake Seiner
With eight new franchises and plans to take its regular season on the road, the Overwatch League is opening its second year a few steps closer to its goal of becoming a truly global, city-based esports league.
The circuit’s inaugural season was an industryshifting success. Launched with 12 teams from three continents, the Overwatch League drew hundreds of thousands of online viewers to its regular-season matches in Southern California and packed Brooklyn’s Barclays Center during a two-night championship between the London Spitfire and Philadelphia Fusion. The league got financial backing from traditional sports heavyweights like New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, signed on with major advertising partners, and landed a two-year broadcasting deal with ESPN — its Grand Final was even the first live esport event aired by the traditional sports giant in prime time.
It was a promising debut, but executives for the league have been clear that their aspirations are higher. Commissioner Nate Nanzer envisions his players becoming “global superstars,” seen in the same light as Lionel Messi or LeBron James. In 2018, the league proved it could lay the groundwork for such a stage. Now it’s time to find out if the foundation can bear the weight of some additions.
The league begins play Thursday with a rematch between London and Philadelphia. Here’s what to expect in season two: and the squads compete to escort vehicles across intricate maps or protect designated zones from enemy capture. Players can choose from 29 characters with varying abilities. It’s heavy on teamwork and strategy, and it can be dizzyingly fast paced, especially to new viewers and players.
The league sold twelve expansion slots for the inaugural season for a reported $20 million each. The teams recruited their own rosters, with players coming mostly from South Korea but also the U.S., Canada, Europe and elsewhere. The minimum salary was set at $50,000, and Nanzer has said the average salary is well above that. Players were almost all provided housing by their clubs, as well as physical trainers and team chefs.
Teams vied for a share of a $3.5 million prize pool, with the champion Spitfire taking home $1 million after sweeping the Fusion in in the finals. The two-day match drew 10.8 million viewers globally and was crowned Esports Live Event of the Year at the 2018 Esports Awards. on how to build a full home-and-away schedule for the league.
With expansion, competitive balance could become a concern. There was a bit of a skill gap even in the inaugural season — the Shanghai Dragons, for instance, went 0-40. But Nanzer is confident the league’s new teams — built largely with players coming from Overwatch’s top minor league, Overwatch Contenders — can keep the bar high enough to satisfy a demanding fanbase.