Overwatch 2 League Is Officially Dead - Blizzard Transitions Away from OWL

Blizzard has announced that the Overwatch League is officially over.

Overwatch 2 League Is Officially Dead - Blizzard Transitions Away from OWL
Mary Altaffer / AP / Shutterstock / Blizzard Entertainment

The demise of the Overwatch League has not been greatly exaggerated. After 6 years of Blizzard's experimental esports setup, which tried to mimic regular sporting events, it has finally come to an end. A lot of resources were spent trying to create 'home' teams across the world, in a league format that was ultimately not the right fit for the gaming industry.

The Overwatch League is closing its doors
Patrick Dodson / Blizzard Entertainment

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Blizzard on the Future of the Overwatch League

An OWL representative spoke out about the future of the league. Sascha "Yiska" Heinisch from GG Recon, received the official confirmation. Blizzard is making a significant shift away from the existing league model, planning to create a fresh competitive Overwatch framework for the future.

“We are transitioning from the Overwatch League and evolving competitive Overwatch in a new direction. We are grateful to everyone who made OWL possible and remain focused on building our vision of a revitalized esports program. We are excited to share details with you all in the near future.”

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This news is not unexpected, as a few months ago Blizzard gave the participating teams a choice to vote on whether they want the to continue competing in the Overwatch League or not. While the result of this vote was not publice, the recent departure of franchised teams such as Toroton Defiant and Chengdu Hunters is a clear indicator of what the future was to hold.

There is no information on what of system the Overwatch Esports landscape is going move ahead with, but be sure that we will keep you update on anything new find out.

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Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 is a team-based first-person shooter developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. As a sequel to the original Overwatch, the game introduces new heroes, maps, and game modes, while retaining the core gameplay mechanics that made its predecessor popular. Overwatch 2 features both Player versus Environment (PvE) and Player versus Player (PvP) modes, expanding the story and universe of Overwatch with cooperative missions and narrative-driven content. The game emphasizes teamwork, strategy, and hero-based combat, offering a dynamic and engaging experience for players.

Genres
First-Person Shooter (FPS)
Platform(s)
PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Release Date
Oct 4, 2022
Price
Free
Developer(s)
Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Blizzard Entertainment
ESRB Rating
T