Many thought that “Overwatch League” was going to flop, as Blizzard barely followed-up after announcing it. It turned out that the studio was prepping things, both for the players and the franchise owners. Later on, the company announced the first official teams of the League.
Now, there is a new update from Blizzard concerning the “Overwatch League.” According to Kotaku, players involved in the competition will be getting health insurance, among others, as part of their benefit. Here is everything about it in a nutshell.
Pro players getting health insurance
The studio reportedly launched a new set of rules involving the teams of the competition. These are meant to treat the pro players nicely by their respective owners. The new rule should make them more like actual athlete players. The stipulations were posted by the studio on its official site, suggesting that team owners like Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots should follow. He and the rest of the franchise owners will be required to provide one-year contracts, salaries of at least $50,000, retirement saving plans, housing (expected during the season’s run), bonus performances and, more importantly, health insurance.
The bonus performance, in particular, should be at least 50 percent.
The “Overwatch League” management defined it as something that players can acquire from winning playoffs and even League events. During the first season, these winning are expected to amount to at least $3.5 million. It is supposed to have a minimum of around $1 million, which will be rewarded to the champion team. The only catch, however, is that the studio never mentioned anything about the revenue from merchandise whatsoever.
More interesting stuff for pro players
The stipulations from Blizzard does not stop there, though. “Overwatch League” players will reportedly not be obliged to any region. For instance, American players or teams will be allowed to hire Korean players if they find the need to. However, this is only possible if the recruiting entity can provide the stipulations mentioned above.
Otherwise, Blizzard will not allow them. This is a set of rules created specifically for the players. So far, there is no complained or objection from the managing team. It seems they have wholly accepted the studio’s guidelines.
“Overwatch League” has yet to commence, but it is expected to begin sometime this year. Blizzard aims to make the competition the largest in the history of eSports. But of course, it is still too early to jump to conclusions. There are eSports enthusiasts, however, who believe that the company will most likely achieve such status.
