Overwatch
News
Kim Phan leaves Blizzard as famed developer continues losing talent
William Davis
Blizzard’s global esports director Kim Phan has announced her resignation. Blizzard is losing another high profile esports executive. Kim Phan, now the company’s former global esports director, made the announcement through the Team Liquid forums. Phan is leaving Blizzard after 13 years. She started her career with the famed game developer as a producer in online technologies. Through the years, Phan worked in different roles until she landed in the …
News
Shanghai Dragons sign Toronto Defiant off-tank Envy in playoff fight
Olivia Richman
The Shanghai Dragons are having an amazing Stage 3. The veteran Overwatch League team is currently third in the standings, with a 2-0 record. This includes a 3-1 victory over Los Angeles Valiant in Week 1, and a more surprising 3-2 win against Atlanta Reign the following week. This is a major change from their Season 1 showing, when they were known as the worst team in the entirety of …
News
Wrecking Ball banned from ranked play after reports of major bug
Olivia Richman
Overwatch’s 1.37 patch brought some major buffs to Baptiste, McCree, and Orisa, but it also brought on some game-breaking glitches. Blizzard has announced that Wrecking Ball is temporarily disabled from competitive play after console players reported that the hamster’s ultimate was causing at least one opponent to disconnect from every match. The Overwatch developer has yet to provide an update on the bug or the hero’s return to ranked play. …
News
Baptiste gets new short story and skin, OW players get new challenge
gabhernandez
A new challenge has gone live in Overwatch and it centers around the game’s newest support hero, Baptiste. Along with a new short story written by Alyssa Wong titled “What You Left Behind,” players are also now being issued a new challenge and rewards for watching selected streams. Rewards for winning games include sprays and a new Baptiste skin. Players can earn these rewards by competing in Quick Play, Competitive …
News
Overwatch League Replay Viewer released, customizes fan experience
Olivia Richman
Overwatch League fans can now customize their viewing experience with the new Replay Viewer. This new feature is live on PTR and allows fans to watch any game from Stage 3 in any way they desire. “Use professional esports observer tools from the comfort of your own computer to customize your viewing experience. Whether you want a first-person, third-person, or a bird’s eye view, you can see it all with …
News
Proliferation of GOATS, big roster moves shape up Stage 3 of OWL
Jared Wynne
We are now just more than two stages into Season 2 of the Overwatch League. This is a halfway point to this year’s grand finals and an opportunity to consider what to expect through the remainder of the 2019 Overwatch calendar. The competition thus far in Season 2 has been fierce. Vancouver Titans tore a Stage 1 win from the hands of the San Francisco Shock, and in the Stage …
News
aKm sets energy record on Zarya as Dallas Feul continue resurgence
William Davis
The Overwatch League Season 2 revenge tour for Dylan “aKm” Bignet continues, and his latest victims are the Washington Justice. According to stats compiled by Jonathan “Reinforce” Larsson, aKm maintained an average of 82% energy on Zarya during the Dallas Fuel’s most recent game against the Justice on the Eichenwalde map. That’s good enough to tie the all-time average energy record for Zarya, previously held by Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse. The …
News
NYXL Libero on sweeping London Spitfire and the race for playoffs
Olivia Richman
The New York Excelsior have been aggressively fighting for a spot in the Stage 3 playoffs. In the first week of Stage 3, the veteran Overwatch League team scored a win over the Houston Outlaws and then steamrolled Season 1 champions London Spitfire. The 4-0 win perfectly highlighted the NYXL’s mastery of the current meta, and has given their loyal fans hope that they will be returning to form. WIN.gg …
Boston Uprising Blase not happy with team performance in Stage 3
Olivia Richman
News
Boston Uprising just lost to Paris Eternal this weekend, their second defeat in the first week of Overwatch League’s Stage 3. And Jeffrey “Blase” Tsang isn’t happy at all. After a miserable 3-1 finish to Paris, Blase spoke with WIN.gg about what went wrong, and the DPS skills he hopes he can unleash before the end of Stage 2. You’ve been known to play Doomfist, Roadhog, Junkrat… Who would you …
Amang discusses loss to Guangzhou Charge and loss of his panda hat
Olivia Richman
News
The Guangzhou Charge may have won 3-1 over the Chengdu Hunters in one of the most anticipated matches of Stage 3 Week 1, but that’s not what people are talking about. The Chengdu Hunters stole the show with an intense, anime-style entrance, adorable panda hats, and the Wrecking Ball stylings of Mengham “Ameng” Ding. The dynamic, DPS-heavy match was an intense back-and-forth battle of the anti-GOATS. And it had the …
The Florida Mayhem have a new goal, a new mindset, and new jerseys
Olivia Richman
News
The Florida Mayhem may have fallen to the Seoul Dynasy 0-4 last night, but the Overwatch League team still has a goal of making it to the Stage 3 playoffs. It’s been a rough journey for the Florida Mayhem. They ended the inaugural season with a disappointing 1-9 record, due in part to their lack of stable management, infamously including the lack of a bus driver. Season 2 wasn’t looking …
SF Shock’s Rascal discusses narrow victory over Atlanta Reign
Olivia Richman
News
It was supposed to be a sure thing. Maybe even a 4-0 sweep. The San Francisco Shock defeated the Atlanta Reign in the first match of Overwatch League Season 2’s third stage. But it was a painfully close match for the Stage 2 champions. In fact, the Shock lost their first map of the regular season since Stage 1 when Atlanta Reign took the third Ilios round after the Shock had fought …
StarCraft spin-off cancelled by Blizzard to focus on Overwatch 2
Steven Rondina
News
Another StarCraft shooter spin-off will never see the light of day. According to a report by Kotaku, Blizzard has quietly scrapped an unannounced StarCraft game codenamed Ares. The new title had been worked on for two years, but was still far from complete. Ares was meant to be a first-person shooter based on the classic RTS series. Gameplay would have been along the lines of the Battlefield series with players …
Overwatch seasonal event guide featuring game modes, skins, and more
Steven Rondina
News
Overwatch has made a consistent effort to offer fresh experiences to its players. With its sizable map pool, a large cast of characters, and regular additions being made to the game, players can look expect a different experience every time they start a new session. But even when there isn’t a brand new hero or a new map to tinker with, players can often find something to enjoy in Overwatch’s …
Super Smashwatch game mode fuses Overwatch with Super Smash Bros
William Davis
News
Tracer may not be showing up in Super Smash Bros. anytime soon, but PC players can now get the next best thing thanks to the Overwatch Workshop. A Reddit user has used the game’s new Workshop mode to create an in-game Smash Bros replica mode titled Super Smashwatch. The fan-made game mode showcases all 30 of the game’s heroes dueling in the Super Smash Bros. style, including three lives per …
Blizzard collaborates with UNIQLO for brand new Overwatch shirts
Olivia Richman
News
Blizzard has joined forces with UNIQLO once again to create a collection of Overwatch-themed graphic tees. This year, the collection features 12 unique designs from a handful of Blizzard’s most popular games. Five of the shirts are Overwach-themed, and three of those shirts feature D.Va. One of the shirts features her signature bunny logo on the breast pocket. A black tshirt sports D.Va and her mech that reads, “Love, D.Va!” …
UNO in Overwatch Workshop is the most popular of the new game modes
Olivia Richman
News
Not all Overwatch Workshops are created equal, which was made clear in the most recent statistics shared by Blizzard vice president Jeff Kaplan. After launching on live servers May 21, players have been creating their own game modes through the Workshop. This includes a game inspired by Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s Arms Race mode, Hero Gauntlet, which is now available to play in Arcade. But the most popular game mode in …
Multiple Activision Blizzard esports staffers set to leave company
Steven Rondina
News
Activision Blizzard has been defined by its frequent turnover in recent months, and that trend isn’t stopping any time soon. According to a report by Dexerto, a number of key players in the company’s esports department are set to leave, most notably Global Product Director of Blizzard Esports Kim Phan. This is due to nosediving morale on the team stemming from disagreements between staff and President of Activision Blizzard Esports …
Overwatch fans could be getting a lore-inspired single-player game
Olivia Richman
News
Overwatch fans looking for a story mode may soon be in luck. In an interview with GameInformer, Blizzard president J. Allen Brack revealed that developers are currently discussing how the Overwatch universe could be used in new titles. While Brack stated that many of their existing IPs could easily inspire spin-offs, he noted that the Overwatch IP is “extremely large and extremely all-encompassing.” In fact, Brack admitted that the Overwatch …
Dallas Fuel cartoon sitcom Fuel House is released in full
Olivia Richman
News
Creative content has become a staple of the most socially successful Overwatch League teams thanks to sponsorship deals that include more fan-directed content. But none have been quite as unique as Dallas Fuel’s “Fuel House,” an animated sitcom that features their players and sponsor mascot Jack’s shenanigans. Since the finale was recently aired, all of the episodes of Fuel House are currently available to check out on YouTube. Fans have responded …
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.
