Overwatch League Officially Ending as Blizzard Focuses on 'New Direction'
Six years after its glitzy launch, Blizzard's grand experiment appears to be over. Blizzard confirmed in a statement to IGN that it is "transitioning from the Overwatch League," seemingly spelling the end for the competition once billed as the future of esports.
"We are transitioning from the Overwatch League and evolving competitive Overwatch in a new direction," an Activision Blizzard spokesperson told IGN. "We are grateful to everyone who made OWL possible and remain focused on building our vision of a revitalized esports program. We are excited to share details with you all in the near future."
Blizzard's statement follows earlier reports of a vote that would determine the league's fate at the end of the season, which wrapped on October 1 with a Grand Finals that Kotaku described as "beautiful and depressing." Teams were given an opportunity to sign on to an updated operate agreement, with a cash payout of $6 million for teams that opted not to continue. Activision Blizzard has previously noted that Overwatch League revenue comprises less than 1 percent of the companies net revenues.
The end of the Overwatch League doesn't necessarilly mean the end of competitive Overwatch. Overwatch League commissioner Sean Miller has previously said that Blizzard remains "committed to a competitive ecosystem in 2024 and beyond," whatever that ultimately looks like.
In the meantime, teams like the Toronto Defiant are paying tribute to the OWL in their own, somewhat unconventional, ways.
Good evening OWL comrades
This is the owner of the Toronto Defiant
Saying goodbye to the OWL with AI generated art
Please direct your attention to the bottom left corner pic.twitter.com/n1MNkMRx1F
It wasn't meant to be this way. Six years ago, Blizzard
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