Blizzard revealed this morning that Philadelphia, Dallas, and Houston are the last three cities to throw their hat into the Overwatch League. As the ink dries on these major commitments, the murmurs of doubt regarding the Overwatch League have become harder and harder to justify.
Early on during the OWL's reveal, reports of the high price tag initially made it impossible for some esports organizations to even consider participating. However, as it turns out, there are plenty of other organizations that don't share this financial problem.
Comcast Spectatorr, a major player in the entertainment and sports industry, has bought the Philadelphia spot under the leadership of Dave Scott, President, and CEO of Comcast. According to Scott, Comcast will leverage its experience in professional hockey and the sports world to "energize the growing esports community in Philadelphia and beyond".
Heading south
Texas esports fans will enjoy two official Overwatch teams, one based in Dallas and the other in Houston. With Blizzard offices already being located in Austin (and their collegiate partner, Tespa, being founded there), maybe this shouldn't be much of a surprise. Blizzard has a habit of forming die-hard fans wherever it resides.
Team Envy, backed financially by Hersh Interactive Group, will represent Dallas. Team Envy is already a premier name in Overwatch and Dallas is lucky to have them. Interestingly enough, the Dallas Mavericks Basketball team has also recently committed to participating in the 2018 NBA 2k esports season. Different games entirely, but the aim is the same: make Dallas a place for esports.
In Houston, the Call of Duty veterans of OpTic Gaming has taken the last spot among 12 and, with its FPS background, comes pre-loaded with a huge fanbase. Hector Rodriguez, owner, and CEO of OpTic Gaming says this is "another significant milestone" and a "testament to the loyal support" of their fans.
Now that all 12 teams have been signed, the first look at Overwatch League showmanship is happening December 6th at the new Blizzard Arena. The revamped TV studio has been "custom-renovated" for esports and promises to be a premier destination for competitive Overwatch. After these December show matches, the season truly begins January 10th, leading into the championship playoffs and finals in July.
RELATED: What you need to know about the last week of Overwatch Contenders
The current 12 teams in the Overwatch League are as follows:
- Boston, Massachusetts, United States owned by Robert Kraft and the Kraft Group
- New York City, New York, United States owned by Jeff Wilpon and SterlingVC
- London, England, United Kingdom, owned by Jack Etienne and esports team Cloud9
- Los Angeles, California, United States owned by Noah Whinston and esports team Immortals
- Los Angeles, California, United States owned by Stan and Josh Kroenke of the Kroenke Sports & Entertainment group
- Miami–Orlando, Florida, United States owned by Ben Spoont and esports team Misfits
- San Francisco, California, United States, owned by Andy Miller and esports team NRG eSports
- Dallas, Texas, United States, owned by esports team Team EnVyUs
- Houston, Texas, United States, owned by Neil Leibman and esports team OpTic Gaming
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Untied States owned by Comcast Spectacor
- Shanghai, China, owned by NetEase
- Seoul, South Korea, owned by Kevin Chou, Kent Wakeford and Phillip Hyun
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Warcraft 3 is my one true love and I will challenge anyone to a game of Super Smash Brothers Melee.
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