Rebekah D. July 19, 2018
Houston Outlaws have announced a new member of the Outlaws organization. But rather than inviting a new professional Overwatch player, the team has introduced an official cosplayer.
Twitter user JTBass3, known by her handle ‘Lucy in Disguise’, was given the opportunity after appearing at fan-organised watch parties in cosplay as D.Va in the Houston Outlaws skin.
Before formally joining Houston, Lucy made a name for herself within the team’s fan base as one of the cofounders of a watch party group known as OutlawsFansATX. The group would organise events for fans of the Outlaws to gather in public, enjoy watching Overwatch League matches together, and socialise.
Not only did Lucy arrange these events, she would also turn up in her iconic D.Va cosplay. Through her and the hard work of a few volunteers, OutlawsFansATX became a large community that garnered the attention of the team they supported. The Outlaws reached out to Lucy, and asked that she support the team on a more official level.
Lucy attended the OWL finals weekend as a guest of the Outlaws in a new cosplay, this time as support hero Brigitte. Like her D.Va costume, Brigitte also wore the Outlaws team colours. The details of the contract between Lucy, OutlawsFansATX and the Houston Outlaws have not been disclosed, but OutlawsFansATX also advertise as an official support group.
OutlawsFans is not the only group to work with OWL teams on an official basis. The ChaosCrew also started as a group of dedicated volunteers that grew to work alongside Florida Mayhem management. The ChaosCrew organise events for fans such as watch and gaming parties. Shortly before the Overwatch League finals, ChaosCrew hosted the Mayhem players in Florida for a series of meetings with fans.