Los Angeles Valiant fans frustrated over new look for OWL 2020 season

Los Angeles Valiant is going into the 2020 season with a brand new look. 

Overwatch League Season 3 is all about regional representation, with every team getting the chance to host games in their home city. This is an opportunity for franchises to rep their cities, build up a loyal following in the area, and cultivate a fandom in the same way traditional sports teams have. 

To help with that transition, the Valiant have decided to shed their drab, green palette for something more sunny. 

“The Valiant are digging in as representatives of Los Angeles as they compete across the globe. The city of LA, and the greater Southern California region, is known for its blue skies and golden sun and now our players and branding reflect that image,” the official press release explained. 

In a follow-up tweet, the Los Angeles team said the colors paid homage to their hometown’s unique sky. 

“It’s a big step! We’re confident in our shift toward branding that’s better integrated into merch, events, and Overawtch itself,” the tweet said. 

New OWL skins coming to Overwatch

With the former green skins now out of fashion, Los Angeles Valiant fans will have to rep their favorite team by purchasing their new in-game skins. 

“It goes beyond stage visuals and merchandising,” the press release said. “The team’s in-game skins with the new colors are massively improved. Whether someone is a Mercy-main or a Torbjörn enthusiast, fans will be proud to put new LA Valiant skins on their favorite Overwatch hero.”

A short video was also provided, showcasing the new in-game skins popping up around Los Angeles, from downtown’s skyline to the Hollywood sign. The Los Angeles Valiant’s new home for 2020 is The Novo in DTLA, the small and chic stadium where they held their Homestand Weekend. 

“I look forward to hosting you at our two Home Stands in Los Angeles on April 18-19 and August 8-9 at The Novo at LA Live. Last year we had splash tanks. I can’t wait to reveal what we have planned next,” the team gushed. 

The LA Valiant’s first match of the season will be on February 9-10 in Dallas. 

Before the OWL begins, some of Los Angeles Valiant’s players will debut the new color at the Staples Center on Wednesday, January 8 for the LA Kings’ Video Game Night. According to the press release, fans can grab tickets here and receive access to a pregame meet and greet with LA Valiant players and other Immortals-affiliated teams. 

Overwatch fans angry with change

While this was all very upbeat on the LA Valiant’s end, many fans expressed frustration over the color change on Twitter. 

“This is like dying your hair a crazy color when you go through a breakup,” one fan responded. 

Another said they already missed the green, a color that stood out from the pack in an Overwatch League field that already features eight teams that use blue as their primary color.

A particularly frustrated follower noted that the new color scheme isn’t even “unique to the league” and casual fans might mistake them for the Boston Uprising, who also wear blue and yellow. They went on to call it counterproductive, since all previous merch is now “outdated” and the new jerseys won’t match their in-game skins. 

“These aren’t the colors of SoCal, they’re the colors of Ikea. The green and gold made you guys stand out, and now you just blend in. Not a fan,” another fan ranted. 

One angry woman even told the Los Angeles Valiant she had spent hundreds of dollars on merch for herself and her daughter over the last few years. In response, the team’s offical Twitter told the fan to DM them since they didn’t want to “leave her hanging.” They responded to a few other followers similarly when they expressed they had already bought merch. 

The new color scheme may take a while to get used to for the Valiant’s most loyal fans.