Blizzard brings on eight new OWL teams

Blizzard has declared that six new teams will be joining Overwatch League during its second season.

This announcement follows a report in August that the league would be bringing in two additional teams from Atlanta and Guangzhou.

These six additional teams hail from Washington, D.C., Chengdu, Hangzhou, Vancouver, Toronto, and Paris. Now operating with 20 teams, nine of them based outside the United States, Overwatch League continues to incorporate players and cities around the world.

According to Pete Vlastelica, the president and CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues, the company believes this decision will continue spreading the league’s influence.

“As we look forward to the 2019 season and beyond, we’re adding eight new teams that will help us grow our league in important regions around the globe,” Vlastelica said.

While the names of these eight teams are currently unannounced, Blizzard has publicized the organizations backing them. One standout ownership group includes Bilibili, a leading online entertainment company in China operating the Hangzhou team. Another is Aquilini Group, owners of the Vancouver Canucks and Rogers Arena, who will oversee the Vancouver team.

“We know that the difference between a good league and a great league is its owners, and we set a high bar for our first season with the caliber of ownership groups,” Vlastelica said. “Every one of these expansion franchises cleared that bar and will make our league even better.”

While Overwatch League won’t start up again until early next year, Blizzard remains hard at work to produce an impressive second season.