The Overwatch League 2020 season brings Blizzard's vision to reality. A franchised, location-based league featuring the best competitive Overwatch players. It's been a long road with ups and downs, doubters, victories, defeats, and ardent supporters. Let's go through the Overwatch League's history.
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The Start
The Overwatch League was announced after the game came out in late October 2015. Critics and fans loved Overwatch right away. It went on to earn many “Game of the Year” accolades for its compelling multiplayer gameplay and varied hero cast. Extremely team-based, the first-person shooter has the potential to be a strong export for Blizzard.
The Overwatch League was unveiled during Blizzard's 2016 annual conference, BlizzCon.
The Overwatch League announced a new esports league with a conventional sports-like structure. This was a new format for esports enthusiasts. It was the scenario that might finally bring esports into the mainstream. Including investors from professional sports, esports, and other sectors. The $20 million franchise buy-in was a big risk, but the potential was there.
Seoul, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, New York, Shanghai, and Florida were the first seven cities mentioned. The league began with twelve clubs, including London, Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, and another Los Angeles franchise.
Gen.G acted quickly.
Gen.G (previously KSV eSports) bought the Seoul Dynasty. The Los Angeles Gladiators are owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which also owns the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets, and Colorado Avalanche. Mr. Kraft purchased the Boston Uprising and the Florida Mayhem from Misfits Gaming, a Berlin-based esports company. NRG Esports bought the Shock. This team was created by the Chinese internet technology firm NetEase.
Jeff Wilbon (New York Mets) is the new owner of the New York Excelsior. Comcast Spectator bought the Fusion. Also from Cloud9, the London Spitfire. The Houston Outlaws were bought by Immortals Gaming Club but subsequently sold to Beasley Broadcast Group. An esports company called Team Envy bought the Dallas Fuel.
The league was taking form, and the first season was just around the corner. The Overwatch League's first season and most of the second season were held in the Blizzard Arena in Burbank, California.
2018 – The First Year
The Overwatch League's first season will consist of four stages, with “Stage Playoffs” between each phase, offering bragging rights and prize money. Each team would play 40 games. Six of the twelve clubs in the league would be determined by their overall records.
On January 10th, 2018, the Dallas Fuel and Seoul Dynasty squared off in the inaugural league's last match of the day, with over 430k spectators. It was an intriguing match-up between Dallas (previously Team Envy and APEX Season One Champions) and Seoul (most of the players from Lunatic-Hai, back-to-back APEX Champions).
From January 10th through July 28th, the twelve Overwatch League teams fought 40 matches apiece. The London Spitfire became the first team to win a Stage Finals, defeating the top-seeded New York Excelsior 3-2.
History-Maker
While several clubs finished the season 0-40, only the Shanghai Dragons had an 0-40 record. They were the first (and only) squad to go winless all season.
Both the Stage Two and Stage Three Finals were won by New York Excelsior. They were the only team to reach each stage's final, winning two and losing two. They dominated all year. This led to a league-best 34-6 record. Their own Sung-hyeon “JJoNak” Bang was named the league's inaugural MVP.
Despite their season-long domination, the Excelsior fell short of the Grand Finals. In the season playoff semi-finals, they were stunned by the Philadelphia Fusion. The London Spitfire defeated the Philadelphia Fusion in the Grand Finals to win the trophy and $1 million. The Grand Finals aired on Twitch, Disney XD, and ESPN. The Spitfire was the first OWL team to win the Grand Finals with Joon-yeong “Profit” Park as MVP.
In the Overwatch League 2019 – Expansion
Blizzard was ready to expand the Overwatch League after a successful first season in 2018. For 2019, eight new expansion clubs were revealed. Atlanta, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Toronto, Paris, Washington, Vancouver, and Chengdu were the teams. The league's global franchise reach extended to include a second EU club alongside London and three more Chinese teams to get into the Chinese viewing market.
The 2019 season would play out much like 2018
Stage Finals continue to serve as a buffer between each of the four stages. The Stage Four Finals were replaced with a play-in competition. Two teams (ranked 7-12) would face off against the top six teams in a double-elimination playoff format. Along with the new playoff system, the clubs' match burden would be reduced from 40 to 28. This was done to reduce player burnout and make each game more meaningful.
While the NYXL remained a top club in the league, the 2019 season saw greater talent. The Vancouver Titans, an expansion club, were the league's top seed all season. They finished with a stunning 25-3 record. They won the Stage One Finals against a San Francisco Shock squad that would challenge them all season. The Vancouver Titans won 19 games in a row, an Overwatch League record. After losing Stage Two to the Shock and Stage Three Semis to the Shanghai Dragons, the Titans haven't won a Stage Final since.
The San Francisco Shock ruled the 2019 season.
The Shock bounced back after a devastating Stage One Finals defeat to the Titans. They finished a “Golden Stage” without losing a single map. They went 7-0 overall, 28-0 on maps, and beat the Vancouver Titans in the Grand Finals.
The Shock swept the Titans 4-0 in the 2019 Grand Finals. They won the trophy and $1.1 million in prizes. Hyo-bin “ChoiHyoBin” Choi was named Grand Finals MVP, joining Profit.
Homestands were added in the 2019 Overwatch League season. Stages Two-Four saw Dallas, Atlanta, and the Los Angeles Valiant stage local events. The season had just three homestands, but they were extremely successful. This paved the way for 2020.
Homestands 2020
No new expansion clubs entered the 2020 season. Instead, the league focused on what they had been working for from the beginning — homestands every weekend, all season. Finally, the city-based brand could represent their towns and hear applause from passionate fans worldwide.
The Overwatch League has gone a long way since its 2016 Blizzcon debut. The path hasn't always been easy, and there have been setbacks in the first two seasons and beyond. Still, the league's breadth is astounding, and the idea of global home matches has come true. From the start, there was a lot to enjoy for league supporters.