Overwatch
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Overwatch streamer becomes first to reach level 10,000, breaking another record
Olivia Richman
Twitch streamer TreeboyDave has become the first Overwatch player to hit level 10,000. As his fans spammed the chat with “I was here,” TreeboyDave announced the impressive achievement live on Twitch yesterday. The British streamer began his October 19 broadcast at level 9,993 – already quite the feat on its own. But he was just seven to the record-breaking 10,000th level. Over 10 hours of streaming finally brought TreeboyDave to …
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Team Poland withdraws from Overwatch World Cup due to lack of funding
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Team Poland won’t be attending the 2019 Overwatch World Cup due to lack of funding, the team shared on Twitter. After failing to secure sponsors, Poland is the latest country to withdraw from the event. After sponsorships fell through, the team was left unable to fly to the United States to attend BlizzCon 2019, where the event is being held. Team Poland was set to compete in the preliminaries in …
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Revival signs streamers Aspen, Fran for Overwatch Contenders 2020
William Davis
Overwatch Contenders team Revival has revealed the surprising additions of Francine “Fran” Vo and Becca “Aspen” Rukavina to their competitive roster. The streamers are set to join the team for the 2020 Contenders season. Revival is also set to field tanks Tim ”Manneten” Bylund and Siarhei “Bogur” Alekau, as well as DPS players Jack “Reyzr” Francis and Luka “Aspire” Rolovic. Fran and Aspen join as the team’s supports. Before the …
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Harsha leaves Titans to coach Houston Outlaws in OWL Season 2
gabhernandez
Harsha “Harsha” Bandi has been named head coach of the Houston Outlaws ahead of the 2020 Overwatch League season. The former Vancouver Titans coach is heading to the Outlaws, an organization that’s been the topic of some conversation recently after a report from The Esports Observer noted a stall in the Overwatch franchise’s sale, which was supposed to have been finalized in late August. There has been no official announcement …
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Gamers for Freedom organizing BlizzCon protest to support Hong Kong
Olivia Richman
When you enter the GamersForFreedom website, the first thing you see are masked protesters holding up American flags in solidarity with the Hong Kong protesters. Scroll down a little, and you’ll see a paragraph that ends with the statement “support free speech for gamers in America, Hong Kong, China, and everywhere else we play.” While the protests in Hong Kong have been going on for months now, the gaming community …
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Blizzard demands Dallas Fuel coach delete Hong Kong tweet
Olivia Richman
Blizzard demanded Dallas Fuel assistant coach Justin “Jayne” Conroy delete a tweet in which he supported Hong Kong’s protest. The now-deleted tweet noted that Blizzard had the right to enforce its rules, although he didn’t agree with the video game developer’s level of censorship “and severity of consequences.” Ironically, Jayne was told he must remove the very tweet that called Blizzard out on their censorship. It’s this continued censorship that …
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ryujehong may leave Seoul Dynasty, discusses new team offers
Olivia Richman
Overwatch League superstar Jehong “ryujehong” Ryu may be leaving Seoul Dynasty. ryujehong made the announcement on a Monday, October 7 stream. Twitter translator gatamchun translated ryujehong’s stream, revealing some telling words from the passionate player. “I’m not retiring. I’ve gotten some offers, but I can’t say from where,” ryujehong told his fans. This doesn’t come as shocking news to anyone who has been following ryujehong’s journey in the Overwatch League. Many …
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Overwatch’s first book to reveal more on Efi and Orisa backstory
Olivia Richman
Overwatch fans may get more insight into Efi Oladele in a book that will be released in 2020. “The Hero of Numbani” will be published by Scholastic and is already available for preorder on Amazon. The book follows the story of Efi, Orisa’s creator. In a description offered on the Amazon listing, the synopsis details how Efi has been creating robots since she was little, with the goal of keeping …
DreamKazper breaks silence after sexual misconduct allegations
William Davis
News
Jonathan “DreamKazper” Sanchez has finally broken his silence. The former Boston Uprising DPS player has made his first social media post since being released from the team in 2018 for allegedly soliciting explicit images from a minor. “I’m truly sorry to the people that were once inspired or looked up to me including past friends, teammates, fan [sic], and also the community as I feel that I have let them …
Super, sinatraa to appear on Tonight Show after OWL Season 2 win
Steven Rondina
News
Appearing on The Tonight Show after winning a major esports event it starting to become a bit of a tradition. San Francisco Shock players Jay “sinatraa” Won and Matthew “super” DeLisi will be sitting down with Jimmy Fallon on Monday’s installment of the show. The players revealed the news on Twitter. “Incredibly excited to announce sinatraa and I will be on The Tonight Show this coming Monday,” Super said. “I …
BlizzCon 2019 rewards include WoW-themed Overwatch skins
Fariha Bhatti
News
Two new legendary Overwatch skins have been revealed as an exclusive reward for BlizzCon ticket holders. The skins are available to anyone who purchases a ticket for the convention. Every year since Overwatch’s release, Blizzard has given away exclusive themed skins for the team-based shooter that tie in with BlizzCon. 2019 is no exception, but this year will feature two new cosmetic items instead of one. To celebrate the 25th …
Sleepy leaves Washington Justice, now an OWL free agent
William Davis
News
Nikola “sleepy” Andrews announced on Twitter that he will be exploring his options in free agency after spending much of the Overwatch League’s second season with the Washington Justice. “For the first time since I originally joined Overwatch League with the San Francisco Shock, I am now a free agent and I’m exploring all opportunities,” Sleepy said. “To clarify, my contract with the Washington Justice simply expired and I could …
xQc reveals why he was kicked out of a TwitchCon party
Olivia Richman
News
Twitch streamer Felix “xQc” Lengyel’s bad behavior got him kicked out of a TwitchCon party over the weekend. After a three-day weekend of meet and greets and conferences at TwitchCon, xQc decided to unwind at some afterparties with Chance “Sodapoppin” Morris. But things quickly got out of hand when the two decided to cause a scene at a more formal gathering. The former Overwatch League star recapped the experience with …
Fans love DJ Zedd’s performance at OWL Season 2 Grand Finals
gabhernandez
News
Anton “Zedd” Zaslavski played to a sold out crowd at the Wells Fargo Center in the opening ceremony for the Overwatch League Season 2 Grand Finals, and the performance was considered a rousing success. Zedd is known for his big hits like “The Middle” and “Stay”, and he performed his latest song “Good Thing” live on the OWL stage with singer, dancer, and songwriter Kehlani. Zedd stepped away from the …
Washington Justice dump coaching staff after OWL Grand Finals
gabhernandez
News
The Washington Justice is the first team to make a move following the Overwatch League Grand Finals. The organization has announced the release of its entire coaching staff. Head coach Hyeong-seok “WizardHyeong” Kim, assistant coach Kyoung Ey Molly “AVALLA” Kim, assistant coach Canaan “Shrugger” Carman, and assistant coach Mikael “mkL” Skjønhaug have all been cut. The news was revealed on Twitter. Head coach WizardHyeong has a long history of coaching …
Shock heap praise on Choihyobin after winning OWL Grand Finals
gabhernandez
News
San Francisco Shock player Hyobin “Choihyobin” Choi won the Overwatch League Grand Finals MVP award after his team’s 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Titans. He opened up on the achievement in a press conference following the event. “Even though I’m the one that received the MVP award, my teammates are the ones that put me in a position for me to be efficient,” Choihyobin said. “So I’d really like to …
How to improve your SR in Overwatch competitive play
Olivia Richman
News
You win a match in Competitive Play but your Skill Rating barely went up. What gives? How do you get out of Gold now? Skill Rating, often called SR, indicates a player’s overall performance in Competitive Play. This number can range from 1 to 5,000, and there are seven ranks that represent your SR: Bronze (skill rating: 1-1,499) Silver (skill rating: 1,500-1,999) Gold (skill rating: 2,000-2,499) Platinum (skill rating: 2,500-2,999) …
SF Shock sweep Titans to become OWL Season 2 champions
gabhernandez
News
The San Francisco Shock defeated the Vancouver Titans to become the 2019 Overwatch League Season 2 champions. The Shock started strong in the first map on Lijiang Tower. Jay “Sinatraa” Won exploded out of the gate with his Doomfist and got the ball rolling for San Francisco for the rest of the map. They took the first point easily but things were evenly matched on the second point. Hyojong “Hacksal” …
Next Overwatch update likely nerfing shield tanks, buffing D.Va
William Davis
News
Shield tanks may no longer be the kings of the meta following the implementation of Patch 1.41. A test version of the next update recently went live on Overwatch PTR servers. It includes changes both big and small for nearly half of the game’s hero roster. The most significant of these adjustments are those related to shield tanks such as Orisa and Sigma. These heroes have received various nerfs while …
Striker talks pressure of OWL Grand Finals, how to beat Titans
gabhernandez
News
The Season 2 OWL Grand Final is happening in Philadelphia, and the San Francisco Shock will take on the Vancouver Titans to see who will take home the trophy this year. The match will take place on September 29. WIN.gg caught up with Shock DPS Namju “Striker” Gwon to discuss everything Grand Finals and how he feels about the current Overwatch League meta. What does playing in the Grand Finals …
Overwatch has become a mainstay in competitive gaming, though the Blizzard creation hasn’t always had a smooth road to travel. From massive peaks of success to major controversies and dips in popularity, the Overwatch franchise has proved resilient, still playing host to legions of players and fans.
Along the way, the game served as host to one of the most ambitious projects in the growing history of esports, and saw the release of a sequel that changed in form and function multiple times before finally releasing to the public.
What is Overwatch?
Overwatch is a prototypical “hero shooter,” a game that combines first-person shooting gameplay with heroic abilities that are unique to each of the game’s diverse cast of characters. One character might swing a giant hammer and wield a protective shield behind which teammate can take cover, while another might zip around the game’s world with twin guns blazing, warping time and space at will.
That variety of characters and playing styles is a big reason for Overwatch’s success. When no two characters play exactly alike, the sheer variety available in the game becomes a draw. Throw in colorful visuals, dynamic and responsive gameplay, and action-packed battles between teams of opposing players all combining their different abilities together, and you can begin to understand the popularity of Overwatch.
When developers at Blizzard first released Overwatch, there was nothing else quite like it. The closest any major release had come was likely Team Fortress 2, which also featured teams of opposing characters wielding varied abilities in prolonged battles. But Overwatch leaned even further into the unique qualities of its characters, including their presentation. Across PCs and consoles alike, the game proved to be a sensation upon its 2016 release.
What happened to the Overwatch League?
Originally founded in 2017, the Overwatch League was meant to serve as a long-term competitive hub for the game’s professional teams and players prior to its official shutdown in 2024. The league was created with big ambitions in mind, as Blizzard, by then partnered with massive publisher Activision, planned to seed local teams in a variety of cities spread across the world. The idea was to emulate traditional professional sports by rooting pro teams in certain cities and regions in the hopes of cultivating local fan followings.
This was a big change compared what had become the standard in esports, with esports organizations representing themselves to their fans regardless of region. At most, broad regions such as North America or Europe were most often marketed to by individual teams. To hone that in on a specific city was a significant change.
Activision-Blizzard also took the step of making pro Overwatch a closed system; that is, high-level tournaments were broadly restricted outside of official OWL events. While this exclusivity offered theoretical opportunity for the OWL through scarcity, it was also a different approach relevant to the established norm in esports, which traditionally saw smaller grass-roots events feed into a game’s highest levels as tournaments gradually scaled up in prominence and prize offerings.
Demanding tens of millions of dollars from investors who sought to own an OWL team and signing big-money exclusive broadcast deals with streaming platforms, the OWL got itself off to a hot start. But concerns over flagging viewership and overall revenue struggles persisted as the league marched forward. Its intended model proved unsustainable, and the league was eventually shut down.
Do people still play Overwatch?
Despite the fate of OWL, Overwatch remains broadly popular in its current form: Overwatch 2. The game remains under active development at Activision-Blizzard, regularly receiving new in-game events and more unique heroes with special abilities that allow the game to be played in different ways.
The release of Overwatch 2 was itself not without some controversy, as Blizzard’s plans for its contents changed and shifted through the sequel’s development cycle, and the final version of OW2 released as more of a continuation of the original game than a distinctly different sequel. But that continuation still preserved the gameplay and overall experience so many players had come to love about OW. For them, getting more of the same ultimately was not an issue.
