The world of esports is fluid. Things grow, shrink, and change with every new game that comes to into the fold. And then, there’s games like Overwatch, that have publishers that want to change the game in new ways never seen in the esports world before. Through this desire came the Overwatch League, a full-on league tournament that features 12 teams from the US and the world abroad battling it out for fame, glory, and cash prizes. The world can watch the League from Twitch, and the response has been very positive for the most part.
The Overwatch League gained around 10 million viewers in its first week, and averaged about a half million per every match, which is pretty impressive given some of the match times. But, for the League, and for Blizzard, they don’t want to stay stagnant, they want to grow, and that could mean getting more teams.
This comes straight from the top of the league, president Nate Nanzer:
“I think we’re off to a good start,” Nanzer told Inven Global. To actually realize our vision and goals, we are going to need more teams around the world. We will be starting conversations about season 2 expansion teams and we’re really focused on additional teams in Asia and Europe. Eventually our goal is to have around 28 teams around the world.”
You might think that’s a bold goal, but given the popularity of the title around the world, it’s honestly not much of a stretch. Plus, a bunch of the 12 teams currently in the league are in the US, with only a handful being from the UK, China, or Japan. This expansion could allow many more international times to arise.
This could also allow more female players to be brought into the league. Currently, there’s only one, and many feel that’s not a good thing.
Regardless, it’s clear that Blizzard has big plans for the league, and we’ll watch and see how they make them come true.
