Blizzard predictably axes Overwatch League to ‘revitalize’ esports program
Following the 2023 Overwatch League Grand Finals, Blizzard announced it would rebuild its esports program. After six seasons, the OWL never quite lived up to its grand vision of a city-based esports league.
The publisher largely telegraphed this move. In June, Overactive Media — parent company to the Toronto Defiant — disclosed that Blizzard forgave each team’s outstanding franchising fees. Soon after, the publisher offered each team a $6 million break-up fee if the league’s expiring agreement was not renewed. If teams paid on schedule — which was likely not the case — this was a least a $12-$13.5 million incentive per team to let the league crumble.
<p lang=«zxx» dir=«ltr» xml:lang=«zxx»> pic.twitter.com/PoV2NaI5fgWhile there were a variety of factors outside of Activision Blizzard’s control that worked against the league, the publisher played a key role in the OWL’s (predictable) downfall.
It’s nearly impossible to have a healthy esports ecosystem if a game does not have a thriving community. Sadly, Overwatch’s popularity has nosedived since the league launched in 2018.
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Throughout its lifecycle, Overwatch wanted to appeal to both casual players and esports competitors at the same time. However, achieving this balance proved to be a major obstacle for Blizzard.
For example, 2019 saw the rise of the “Goats” meta where teams played with three tanks and three healers. This team composition was highly effective but incredibly difficult to watch. Eventually, Blizzard killed the strategy by implementing Role Queue, but
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