{"id":153435,"date":"2024-05-10T15:58:38","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T14:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/?p=153435"},"modified":"2024-05-13T09:24:45","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T08:24:45","slug":"overwatch-esports-resurgence-following-owl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2024\/05\/overwatch-esports-resurgence-following-owl","title":{"rendered":"Opening up an esport: Overwatch\u2019s resurgence after the Overwatch League closure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"638\" src=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//wp-content//uploads//2024//05//Overwatch-Open-Ecosystem_-large.png/" alt=\"Overwatch Open Esports Ecosystem\" class=\"wp-image-153447\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Overwatch-Open-Ecosystem_-large.png 1024w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Overwatch-Open-Ecosystem_-medium.png 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Overwatch-Open-Ecosystem_-medium_large.png 768w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Overwatch-Open-Ecosystem_-1536x958.png 1536w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Overwatch-Open-Ecosystem_.png 1880w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(ESI Illustration) Image credit: OWCS, Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f7458193\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>It\u2019s incredibly rare to see a franchised esport abandon its previous business model in favour of a completely open ecosystem.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f74589ea\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Thanks to a few <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2021//08//coca-cola-and-state-farm-reassessing-overwatch-league-sponsorships/">bad decisions<\/a>, a pandemic, viewership declines, a troubled sequel and <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//01//bobby-kotick-officially-leaves-activision-blizzard-following-microsoft-acquisition/">new ownership<\/a>, that\u2019s exactly what happened to Blizzard&#8217;s competitive FPS <strong>Overwatch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"keep-reading \"  id=\"kr-67cf6f7459975\">\n  <div class=\"heading\">Keep Reading<\/div>\n  <ul class=\"d-flex flex-column\">\n          <li id=\"post-149518\" style=\"order: 1;\"><a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//02//defiant-overwatch-champions-series/" target=\"_blank\">Toronto Defiant returns for Overwatch Champions Series<\/a><\/li>\n          <li id=\"post-151005\" style=\"order: 2;\"><a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//03//overwatch-2-esports-world-cup/" target=\"_blank\">Overwatch 2 added to the Esports World Cup<\/a><\/li>\n          <li id=\"post-139879\" style=\"order: 3;\"><a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2023//10//microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition/" target=\"_blank\">Microsoft&#8217;s Activision Blizzard acquisition: How did it happen?<\/a><\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f745ad7f\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>During Overwatch\u2019s beta phase in 2015, the game had the making of a flourishing esport scene with teams from all over the world eager to compete once the game was fully released. Whilst an open system was quickly <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////overwatch.blizzard.com//en-gb//news//20096044//overwatch-beta-test-weekend-april-15-16-4-12-2016///">established<\/a>, Activision Blizzard opted to lock everything up behind a franchised system quickly with slots on sale for a <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2018//05//overwatch-league-expansion-spots/">reported $20m (~\u00a316m) each<\/a> for its inaugural season in 2018.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f745b514\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>The plan was very ambitious: create an esport league similar to North America\u2019s NBA, with a travelling circus made of city-based teams. After a slow start in 2018 and 2019, which saw its inaugural league primarily compete in Los Angeles\u2019 <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////news.blizzard.com//en-us//blizzard//21045530//blizzard-arena-opens-in-los-angeles/">Blizzard Arena<\/a>, franchises gathered <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2019//07//overwatch-league-2020-changes/">enough attention<\/a> to start travelling between cities for its 2020 season. However, then the pandemic happened, forcing competitions to go online.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f745bc8b\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Meanwhile, at the end of 2019, Blizzard announced a sequel to the original game, Overwatch 2, which would eliminate a role and shift the gameplay from 6v6 to 5v5. The game suffered delays, content cuts and received a <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////www.ign.com//articles//overwatch-2-becomes-worst-user-reviewed-game-on-steam-ever-even-as-tens-of-thousands-turn-up-to-play/">lukewarm response<\/a> once it was released in 2022. Meanwhile, Overwatch League teams were systematically losing money in the scene due to a lack of promised revenue that the franchised league aimed to provide. The sexual harassment scandal that plagued Blizzard in 2021 \u2014 <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////www.polygon.com//22611878//overwatch-league-sponsorship-t-mobile-coca-cola-state-farm/">driving established sponsors like State Farm and Coca-Cola away<\/a> \u2014 certainly didn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f745c40d\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>All of this resulted in mounting pressure from teams to cut their losses and recoup some of their initial investment. So, months before Microsoft\u2019s $68.7bn (~\u00a350.5bn) <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2023//10//microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">acquisition of Activision Blizzard<\/a>, teams were offered the chance to exit the franchise. This marked the <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2023//11//overwatch-league-officially-over-teams-vote-for-exit/">end of the Overwatch League<\/a> and, a few months later, the arrival of a new, <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//01//blizzard-esl-overwatch-champions-series/">open, circuit<\/a> that lifted the spirits of fans and pro players.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//wp-content//uploads//2024//05//GFnMdAHacAAGiNR-large.jpeg/" alt=\"Overwatch Champions Series\" class=\"wp-image-153448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GFnMdAHacAAGiNR-large.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GFnMdAHacAAGiNR-medium.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GFnMdAHacAAGiNR-medium_large.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GFnMdAHacAAGiNR-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GFnMdAHacAAGiNR.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image credit: ESL FACEIT Group<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f745ccc4\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>ESL FACEIT Group entered the Overwatch scene with the promise of democratising the discipline in the style of more open ecosystems such as Counter-Strike, through the Overwatch Championship Series (OWCS). This new competition would have in-person majors and be part of the Saudi Arabian government-backed <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//03//overwatch-2-esports-world-cup/">Esports World Cup<\/a>, with open qualifiers providing potential participation for any aspiring team.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f745d470\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>\u201cWe used to have a team in 2017-2018, and we&#8217;ve been following the circuit over the years,\u201d <strong>ENCE CEO Mika Kuusisto told Esports Insider<\/strong>. \u201cThere has been lots of turmoil around the Overwatch ecosystem since Blizzard stopped the league. There&#8217;s a lot of great talent looking for opportunities, fans are eagerly waiting for what&#8217;s to come and organisations like ENCE are trying to take their part in developing the ecosystem to be more sustainable for all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f745dbef\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>\u201cESL FACEIT Group being active in the scene is making us excited about the future although there&#8217;s not much visibility yet for the long term. Making a comeback to Overwatch is part of our expansion strategy: we saw an opportunity to help the ecosystem but also to get a very competitive team to represent our jerseys\u201d.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f745e376\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>The OWCS isn\u2019t just for returning organisations. The cancellation of the franchised league has attracted new teams and new investments from all over the world.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f745eae3\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>\u201cNow that the franchise era has ended, Team Falcons has been able to do a full entry with a Korean roster capable of playing at the highest level, alongside a MENA fully female roster entry, which is something we\u2019re very proud of,\u201d <strong>Grant Rousseau, Global Director of Esports at Team Falcons, told Esports Insider<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f745f245\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Team Falcons, among other teams like ENCE and SpaceStation Gaming, have qualified for the first major \u2014 set to happen at Dreamhack Dallas from May 31st to June 2nd. As more details regarding Overwatch\u2019s circuit come to light, globally recognised organisations such as <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////twitter.com//FNATIC//status//1787891646060757089/">Fnatic<\/a> and <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////twitter.com//TSM//status//1785700914302501214/">TSM<\/a> have announced their entry into the scene.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f745f9b9\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Rousseau continued: \u201cOur objective is pretty simple, that is to win all there is available in Overwatch. We recently won the Korean Contenders league and now we have our sights set on qualifying for and winning, the Dallas Major along with the Esport World Cup. We want to use this game to promote Falcons and Overwatch combined and show our capabilities as an esports organisation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////twitter.com//FNATIC//status//1787891646060757089/"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//wp-content//uploads//2024//05//GM_d1ecXYAAH0dI.jpeg/" alt=\"Fnatic Overwatch\" class=\"wp-image-153449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GM_d1ecXYAAH0dI.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GM_d1ecXYAAH0dI-medium.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GM_d1ecXYAAH0dI-large.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GM_d1ecXYAAH0dI-medium_large.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GM_d1ecXYAAH0dI-1536x864.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fnatic is the latest major organisation to announce its entry into Overwatch 2. Image credit: Fnatic via X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f7460268\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>The launch of an entirely new esport circuit has also completely opened up talent pools, with Overwatch League franchise players looking for other opportunities and athletes in Contenders, the game\u2019s previous tier 2 circuit, now able to compete on the biggest of stages.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f7460a1b\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>The <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//02//defiant-overwatch-champions-series/">Toronto Defiant<\/a> is the most prominent Overwatch League brand that stayed alive after the cancellation of the franchised league and is now competing with a new roster in the OWCS. Meanwhile, Overwatch\u2019s integration into FACEIT has created a clearer path-to-pro for up-and-coming players.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f746117e\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>\u201cWe worked relentlessly once we realised there was an opportunity to land a Contenders team with a Finnish core,\u201d Kuusisto added. \u201cBut it wasn&#8217;t a particularly easy process due to the scene having so many unanswered questions about the Overwatch roadmap, prize pools and so on, so we had to be very precise on what we wanted to build and with what kind of budget.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f746191c\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>The OWCS\u2019 number one problem, right now, is doubts over its stability as an investment. Prize pools for the entire season are still unclear and the roadmap is not well defined.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f74621bf\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>\u201cFirst and foremost we wanted to create a team who can challenge the best teams in the world,\u201d Kuusisto concluded. \u201cSecondly, we need to find a commercial sense to operate within Overwatch. The latter will take some time and there are still lots of uncertainties. Competitively we have had a superior start and hopefully we can deliver the results and excitement to the fans throughout the season\u201d.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f7462934\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p><a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////escharts.com//tournaments//ow?year=2024&amp;order=peak\%22>According to Esports Charts,<\/a> the Overwatch Champions Series 2024 is generating between 61,000 to 31,000 peak viewers across its regional stages. Whilst these are modest figures, it\u2019s hard to compare against the Overwatch League due to the leagues being regionally focused. Dreamhack Dallas will be the scene&#8217;s true viewership benchmark. The Overwatch League 2023 playoffs recorded 157,689 peak viewers, highlighting a clear goal that the OWCS will want to beat.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f74630b3\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Currently, the ecosystem is populated with a mix of well-established organisations (Twisted Minds, M80 and Crazy Raccoon), unsigned super roster (Students of the Game) and lesser-known teams (Team Peps) which populate the circuit\u2019s three main regions: NA, EMEA and Asia. The latter is organised by Korean company WDG. <\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f7463824\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>From a player standpoint, the ecosystem is already populated by former Overwatch League stars (Lee \u2018LIP\u2019 Jae-won) and emerging talents (Diego \u2018Vega\u2019 Moran), creating a scene that is buzzing with excitement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6f7463f93\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>The scene\u2019s true litmus test will be the Dreamhack Dallas event. Only there, fans and analysts will find out if the game\u2019s original promise of being a competitive powerhouse is on its way to becoming reality.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(ESI Illustration) Image credit: OWCS, Shutterstock It\u2019s incredibly rare to see a franchised esport abandon its previous business model in favour of a completely open ecosystem.&nbsp; Thanks to a few bad decisions, a pandemic, viewership declines, a troubled sequel and new ownership, that\u2019s exactly what happened to Blizzard&#8217;s competitive FPS Overwatch. During Overwatch\u2019s beta phase &hellip; <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//05//overwatch-esports-resurgence-following-owl/">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":153447,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","esi_template":"default","excluded":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[242,63,8999,239,51,50,55,54,5283,106,237,240,53,59,8701,18248],"tags":[40,245,910,17823],"class_list":["post-153435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia","category-commercial","category-editors-picks","category-europe","category-events-calendar-news","category-features","category-esports-titles","category-interviews","category-investments","category-latest-news","category-news-by-region","category-north-america","category-opinion","category-overwatch","category-shooters","category-top-stories","tag-esports","tag-overwatch","tag-overwatch-league","tag-owcs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Overwatch\u2019s resurgence after the Overwatch League closure<\/title>\n<!-- Added by HTTrack --><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /><!-- /Added by HTTrack -->
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