London Spitfire Win First-Ever Overwatch League Stage Finals

The first stage of the inaugural season of the Overwatch League is complete, with the London Spitfire defeating the New York Excelsior in a thrilling five-game match at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles in front of a sold-out crowd. The Spitfire won the series, 3-2 – coming back after being down two games for only the third reverse sweep by any team of the stage – and will take home a $100,000 USD bonus.… Read the rest

Setting the Stage: Overwatch League Week 5 Update

By Spencer Moran, Blizzard Entertainment

Week 5 Update

After last week’s (mostly) tight games between the teams at the top of the standings, the Stage 1 Finals picture is becoming clearer for some and murkier for otherswhile a handful of teams can look forward to a good night’s sleep on Saturday.… Read the rest

Overwatch League – Each team’s probability of making the Stage 1 Finals

By Spencer Moran, Blizzard Entertainment

On Saturday, Feb. 10, at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles, the top three teams in the standings will battle it out for $125,000 in prize money—and bragging rights—after the conclusion of that day’s matches.

Stage Finals take the form of a seeded playoff where the second- and third-place teams face each other first, the winner of which will take on the top-seeded team in the title match.… Read the rest

Overwatch League Opening Week Draws More Than 10 Million Viewers

The Overwatch League roared to life last week at the Blizzard Arena Los Angeles, with four days of intense competition between all 12 teams of the world’s first major global city-based professional esports league.

Buoyed by a newly announced two-year deal with Twitch, the Overwatch League’s exclusive worldwide[1] third-party digital broadcast partner, opening day drew an impressive average audience per minute of 408,000, and 280,000 for the week.… Read the rest

Overwatch League Inaugural Season Begins Today

The inaugural season of the Overwatch League kicks off today, beginning an epic showdown between teams from some of the world’s top sports and esports leaders—and the best Overwatch players on the planet.

As the first major global professional esports league with competition organized by cities, the launch of the Overwatch League is one of the most hotly anticipated moments in esports.… Read the rest

The Shanghai Dragons – First Overwatch League fixture on Jan. 10, 2018

The Overwatch League™ is the world’s first full-blown professional esports league including teams representing major cities from around the world. It is also the first top-level esports tournament to feature home and away games. As the tournament and the twelve participating teams gather increasing attention and discussion, the Shanghai Dragons, a team operated by NetEase Games, is set to play their first game of the debut season on Jan.… Read the rest

Overwatch League – Details for 2018’s Path to Pro

Overwatch League

Last month, we shared an overview of our plans for the Path to Pro in 2018, including an expansion of participating regions, and a promotion/relegation tournament between Open Division and Overwatch Contenders called Contenders Trials. As we approach the beginning of a new year, the first step on the Path to Pro is open for registration—and we have more details about Overwatch Contenders.… Read the rest

Overwatch League – Stage 1 Tickets on Sale

Blizzard Entertainmen

Last week, the Overwatch League opened its doors at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles, and we blitzed through four days of thrilling preseason competition. If you loved watching your favorite teams compete, there isn’t long to wait until you can do it all again: Stage 1 of the Overwatch League inaugural season begins on January 10 (running through February 10), and tickets are on sale now.… Read the rest

Overwatch League: Philadelphia Fusion to Miss Preseason

Blizzard Entertainment

The Philadelphia Fusion announced in a pair of tweets that, due to player logistics issues, the team is unable to participate in the Overwatch League preseason, this Wednesday through Saturday.

For the first match of day one of the preseason, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. PST, the San Francisco Shock will take the place of the Philadelphia Fusion, facing off against the Florida Mayhem.… Read the rest

Su-Min “Sado” Kim, of the Philadelphia Fusion, Overwatch League – Suspended

Overwatch League

Overwatch League players are expected to uphold the highest standards of our game, and to be exemplary citizens of our player community. Participating in “account-boosting” schemes, wherein an individual is paid to increase another user’s Skill Rating, is contrary to these values, and violates the Blizzard End User License Agreement.… Read the rest

Overwatch Path to Pro system for 2018

Blizzard Entertainment

A core value of Overwatch esports is the building and maintenance of an ecosystem that can provide a path for players of all skill levels to grow as competitors and as teammates. We saw this idea in action over the past year, with Overwatch Contenders, the Open Division, and other regional leagues across the globe.… Read the rest

Overwatch – HP and Intel agree to big sponsorship deals for the ‘Overwatch League’

Tech leaders HP Inc. and Intel today joined forces with Blizzard Entertainment in major Overwatch Leaguesponsorship deals that represent an extended investment in the groundbreaking professional league. As part of the multiyear agreements, Intel will sponsor future Overwatch® competitive events in addition to the Overwatch League.

Players taking part in these events will be equipped with cutting-edge gaming hardware from both HP and Intel.… Read the rest