The Overwatch League is having a bit of a rocky start. The initial pitch of a franchised league run by Blizzard themselves with promise of better pay for players and better compensation for teams participating sounds good, if not slightly ambitious. Not much news about the League is available officially, uncertainty floats in the air which had made various teams that rushed to secure an Overwatch roster to let them go again.
Following up from the reports of a high asking value of $20 million for a spot in the Overwatch League, ESPN Esports has reported that at least six teams are now confirmed.
The first team to be mentioned is a team owned by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who appeared in the initial report by ESPN. Kraft Sports Group will be calling the city of Boston its home turf.
The second team that is also new to esports is awarded to Sterling Equities, owner of the MLB team New York Mets. As expected, this will be the New York team.
The third and fourth teams are picked up by esports organisations NRG Esports (San Francisco) and Immortals (Los Angeles). NRG may not have the strongest roster currently but they have the star power and the financial backing of the same investors of NBA team Sacremento Kings and NBA legend Shaquile O’Neal. Immortals also have strong financials, recently film compnay Lionsgate had invested an undisclosed amount to the organisation. Immortals also have a strong lineup of players- the roster was picked up last year after a strong run to the Overwatch Open finals and has since seen great success including winning season zero of Overwatch Contenders NA. Sources cited Immortals and NRG are paying $20 million for the spots, paid over time.
The other two cities include Shanghai and Seoul, though no details about the group are revealed so far.
This is still considered rumours, none of the mentioned organisations have confirmed the details. But at least it shows that progress has been made. The two new teams would benefit from Blizzard’s announcement that they are compiling scout reports for potential players. The Overwatch League should start by the end of the year, with the first proper season starting in 2018.