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I’m guessing it’s not too hard to tell from how often I mention it in other articles but I really miss the Overwatch League.
It was the first live esports competition that I would make time to watch regularly and I even went a bit deeper than that. I started checking out the team’s social media accounts, watching the interviews and the live streams.
I got to know the personalities of the players, analysts, casters, and hosts and there hasn’t really been anything that’s filled this void for me since it ended.
The World Cup is close but feels more like a lite experience. There’s less focus on the individuals and it’s a much shorter competition so there’s no surprise that they simply don’t have the time for such shenanigans. I get to see great Overwatch play, which I love but there’s definitely still something missing.
The good news is Blizzard has just announced the 2019 season of Overwatch League which will begin on February 15, 2019, so I only have to wait a few more months.
Fans attend Overwatch League grand finals (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Blizzard Entertainment )
The format will be similar to this year’s League with four five-week stages but this time there will be a whopping 20 teams competing. This means each team will play 28 matches so there’s still plenty of opportunities to see your favourites in action.
The reason for the larger roster of teams this time around is the addition of eight new franchises to the games. Teams are split into Atlantic and Pacific divisions, which doesn’t mean too much until finals come around.
The Atlantic division will see Paris, Toronto, Washington D.C. and Atlanta added to the roster and Pacific is getting Vancouver, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and, Hangzhou.
This means, unfortunately, that we won’t be seeing an Aussie team in the League just yet, so as long as LA Valient keep their lineup and coach then they’ll just have to keep being our next best thing.
There were rumours saying Melbourne was considered for a team especially with the city’s current expansion into esports with things like the recent Melbourne Esports Open. For now, though, it seems that just isn’t on the cards.
A big reason for this is likely that getting an Overwatch team added to the League appears to be a matter of money, more than anything else with reports stating franchises need to pay between $15 million and $250 million USD depending on the city they represent to get a spot.
Even more so, like with any international sports competition, there’s no guarantee an Australian team would be that in anything more than name and ownership only. Most teams pull from all over the world to make up the best composition they can which leads to us seeing some of the best Overwatch possible and there’s always the World Cup for wanting to show off a country’s individual prowess.
Joona “Fragi” Laine, of the Philadelphia Fusion esports team, pumps up the crowd before an Overwatch League game. (Photo: Robert Paul/Blizzard Entertainment)
The addition of three Chinese teams with Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou is particularly interesting. The World Cup has taught us that the Shanghai Dragons may not be the best representation that China could have offered to Overwatch League.
The Chinese team managed to take out the top spot in Bangcock and are going on to the finals to be held at Blizzcon alongside our team. Getting that number one spot also included getting a win over our stellar Australian team, so you know they mean business.
This means there’s obviously a wealth of untapped skill in the Chinese market, but whether there’s enough for three teams or they’re going to pull from outside remains to be seen.
Another difference in next year’s League competition is that players are going to see more break time which is sorely needed. During this year’s competition, the physical and mental strain on the players had me wondering whether or not the current format was sustainable with many suffering injuries and other problems due to the intense style of play.
This time around the schedule will see teams will play a maximum of two matches per week and will sometimes even have a week off during the competition. We will also see longer breaks during the season which should give players not only the opportunity to rest but also to return home if in need of some mental and emotional recharging.
All in all it looks like the next round of Overwatch League is going to be not only bigger but also smarter than before. More teams who are hopefully taking better care of themselves will give us better games.
Plus, the dramatic changes in presentation from week one to the finals will continue to carry over and undoubtedly get stronger. It’s still four months away, but I’m already excited for more Overwatch League.