There was a time when being a professional athlete was like any other profession. Once the baseball, football, or basketball season was over, the players had to go get another job in order to supplement their income. Those days are long gone. There was also a time when playing “Overwatch” didn’t pay at all. Those days have also come and gone. Once Blizzard’s new esports League kicks off later this fall, players will be able to earn as much as $750K a year just for playing the team-based shooter.

The numbers are out for the league that is costing team owners as much as a $20 million buy-in.

The world’s first city-based eSports League is going to be paying “Overwatch” players a tidy sum, as long as they win the whole thing.

‘Overwatch’ players can approach millionaire status

On Wednesday, Blizzard released the official layout of how player signings, salaries and more will be handled in this new “Overwatch” league. Teams in this first season will be based in Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, San Francisco, Seoul, and Shanghai.

Beginning on August 1, these teams will be able to fill their rosters with a minimum of six and a maximum of 12 players, according to Blizzard’s website. These players will be signed to a guaranteed one-year contract which can be extended to a two-year deal.

The minimum base salary for these professional “Overwatch” players is $50,000. In addition to the base salary, teams must offer every player a health insurance plan and a retirement savings plan. While $50K is already a pretty good salary for playing a video game, it’s the bonuses that can get players earning near million-dollar levels.

Blizzard has mandated that teams will give at least 50 percent of any team performance bonuses (playoff bonuses and other league events) to the players. The total bonus amount any one team can win will total $3.5 million, with $1 million minimum going to the “Overwatch” league champion. Techcrunch reports that means that it’s possible for one team’s players to each earn $750,000 in the first year, should they be playing on a six-man crew.

Anyone can be a professional ‘Overwatch’ player

While you might think that there is some listing somewhere of the professional “Overwatch” players, it turns out the league can literally hire anyone it wants. Blizzard has put together a “scouting report” of everyone who has ever played the game.

That means that come August 1, you might be getting a call from Boston team owner Robert Kraft (who also happens to own the New England Patriots). Worried you’ll have to turn down the free agent contract because you don’t live in one of those seven cities? Don’t worry. The “Overwatch” league also requires team owners to set up housing for the team members.
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