Six new groups will be part of the Overwatch League for its second season, with two groups every from North America, Europe, and Asia.
League president and CEO Pete Vlastelica confirmed the plans to German journal Handelsblatt. He couldn’t affirm which particular European or Asian nations could be getting groups, however he mentioned the League intends to have a Berlin-based group by subsequent 12 months.
Currently, OWL includes 12 groups: 9 from North American, two from Asia (the Shanghai Dragons and Seoul Dynasty), and one from the UK (London Spitfire). The first season wraps subsequent month, with the grand finals set for June 27-28.
Overwatch is on our record of the best multiplayer games on PC.
Vlastelica mentioned the League is in search of companions in European cities which have sturdy potential homeowners and devoted Overwatch participant bases. He listed Berlin, Paris, and Amsterdam as potential cities, and mentioned they’re additionally contemplating groups in Scandanavia.
The Overwatch League is the primary e-sports group to develop everlasting franchisees, Vlastelica defined, and meaning they’re in search of franchise homeowners who’ve “strategic resources to benefit the league.” In different phrases, strong monetary backing.
With the recognition of Overwatch League, it’s a strong funding for the precise backers. Blizzard offered unique streaming rights for the League’s first two seasons to Twitch for $90 million, and that determine is more likely to improve if OWL continues to broaden in each measurement and viewership.
The Overwatch League has mentioned they have been trying to Europe as a key marketplace for enlargement, and that football clubs have helped information their mannequin for improvement within the area. In the interview with Handelsblatt, Vlastelica says the league works on an American sports activities franchise mannequin.
The full Handelsblatt article can be found here, in German. Quotes used right here have been translated by Google.
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