"Overwatch League" was announced almost nine months ago, but since then, Blizzard has been not so generous in relaying further details about it. Players have no idea which pro teams are included, let alone the actual core details of the competition. But now, this silence has finally been broken.
According to theScore esports, Blizzard has already revealed the first seven franchise owners alongside their respective teams' cities. This is a huge step, as it confirms that, contrary to popular belief, the "Overwatch League" is alive and kicking. Here is everything about it in a nutshell.
The current list of teams
The studio announced the first seven franchises and/or teams, but they assured the entire league that more investors should be coming soon. The very own commissioner of "OWL" Nate Nanzer claimed that the company has already negotiated with other potential franchise owners, most of which are set to join the competition. Nanzer explained that they plan to expand the reach of the league before the start of its official season.
"These are just the first seven teams that we've finalized deals with and are ready to announce," Nanzer said. He further revealed that since the announcement of the "Overwatch League," Blizzard has been working behind the scenes to land deals and acquire "potential owners all over the world." As of this moment, the league will be associated with at least two traditional sports executives.
First is Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, who will head and own the Boston team. Second and lastly, Jeff Wilpon, the COO of the New York Mets, who will head and own the New York City Team.
Other franchise owners
Coming from the endemic esports team, there will be three in "Overwatch League." These are namely, Noah Winston (Immortals' CEO) for the Los Angeles, Ben Spoont (Misfits Gaming's CEO) for the Miami franchise, and Andy Miller (NRG Esports chairman) for the San Francisco city.
As for the franchise owners from Asia, there are two and these are Kevin Chou, the co-founder of mobile game publisher Kamblam and he will spearhead the Seoul franchise. Lastly, it is the internet technology company called NetEase, which will own the Shanghai franchise. The said company is best known for distributing Blizzard's titles in the region, while Chou's Kamblam became titular for "Marvel: Contest of Champions."
Unfortunately, the "Overwatch League" will not offer a draft process and thus will become a free market, at least for the time being.
Teams are also given the freedom to sign any players as long as the players are not currently signed to a roster. As for the existing teams, they will not be broken up ahead of the league's first season.
How will the teams make money?
Every team will receive an equal share of revenue that comes from advertising, ticket sales, broadcasting, etc. They will also be able to earn on local revenues that they generate capped at a certain amount each year. Once they reach the cap, the rest of the money will go towards the shared revenue pool.
Additionally, Blizzard will also begin selling in-game cosmetic items like sprays that will feature team logos - much like traditional sports merchandising. 50 percent of earnings from these sales will go to the respective teams.
