EsportsHeaven
2023-10-04 12:13:54
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) October 2, 2023With news that remaining franchise owners will hold a vote on an "update operating agreement." "If the teams do not vote to continue under an updated operating agreement, a termination fee of $6 million will be payable to each participating team entity (total fee of approximately $114 million)." "As of June 30, 2023, a termination liability has not been accrued." This information being announced publicly has sparked serious concerns that the ambitious esports project has failed. On top of that, as the broadcast of the grand final came to a close, the broadcast talent all had a sombre send-off to the fans who supported the league thus far. Following that, there was a touching highlight reel of all the best moments from the six years the Overwatch League had been operating. To be frank; all signs point toward the death of the Overwatch League as we knew it.
This also flanks a slew of terrible breaks the Overwatch League has faced in recent months.
Earlier this April, Activision Blizzard settled with the United States Justice Department for limiting esports players' salaries.
As one of the worst-kept secrets in the Overwatch League, the "competitive balance tax", as the suit calls it, would fine teams who spent over a designated limit on player salaries.
After an extended hiatus from the league, the Chengdu Hunters would exit the league on June 20th.
This broke weeks after news that franchise owners would have their franchise fees waived.
Initial fees sat in the ballpark of $20 million whereas in 2019, as the Overwatch League expanded, franchise fees skyrocketed towards $50 million.
However, the Overwatch League being dead doesn't mean competitive Overwatch is done for.
A report from GGRecon allergies that ESL FACEIT Group has been in talks with the developer to run the future of competitive Overwatch in North America and Europe.
Details were unclear as it pertained to the Asia-Pacific and South Korean markets.
If you're clamouring for more competitive Overwatch, following the death of the Overwatch League, look no further than BlizzCon 2023.
On October 29th, the Overwatch World Cup will return.
The 2023 Overwatch World Cup group stage includes countries like the United States, Canada, China and South Korea.
The Overwatch World Cup will conclude in the Anaheim Convention Center on November 4th.