As the Overwatch League dives into its next season, rostermania is taking place. Accordingly, lots of roster changes are hitting the ceiling as teams try to better their chances for the upcoming season. Indeed, we’ll be discussing some new changes concerning the Washington Justice OWL 2022 roster below!
Washington Justice OWL 2022 – A Step Forward?
In terms of narrative, Washington Justice have a lot to improve. Accordingly, their 2020 season was very poor, however this past year they say a slight improvement.
However, the team remained middle of the pack. Since October, multiple changes have hit this tea, and most recently Fury left while Kalios joined. Here’s a look at the current state of the roster:
Gui-un “Decay” Jaang – DPS
Kim “Mag” Tae-sung – Tank
Kim “Assassin” Sung-won – DPS
Jungwoo “Happy” Lee – DPS
Jung “Krillin” Yung-hoon – Support
Shin “Kalios” Woo-yeol – Tank
To reiterate, the following are their performances from this past season:
Credits: OWL
7-8th @ OWL 2021 Playoffs
1-2nd @ OWL 2021 Play-In West
10th @ OWL 2021 Regular Season
5-8th @ OWL 2021 Summer Showdown
Can they continue on this upward curve and perhaps challenge a podium this coming season? We’ll have to see in the coming months.
With many esports in the middle of rostermania, Overwatch is making some noise too. Accordingly, a tonne of rosters are being announced, all hoping for a better season. Indeed, perhaps the most can be said for one team in particular. Read on as we cover the story concerning the Vancouver Titans Roster 2022!
Vancouver Titans Roster 2022 – It Only Gets Better
How can we describe the past season for the Vancouver Titans? Well, it was hopeless, with bottom placings at every single step of the way. Luckily, the organization understands the urgency behind this and quickly dropped their entire roster following the Playoffs earlier this year.
Indeed, the last time we received an update from Overwatch 2, it was concerning the next season. Accordingly, although we knew Overwatch 2 delayed would be true, we just wouldn’t be sure for how long. Aimed for next competitive season, it’s clear now that we might have to wait even longer than we expected!
Overwatch 2 Delayed – How Much Time Left?
Credits: Blizzard
Specifically, for both Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 we were hoping to see them be published as soon as 2022 next year. However, the following is a statement from a report from Activision below:
“As we have worked with new leadership in Blizzard and within the franchises themselves, particularly in certain key creative roles. It has become apparent that some of the Blizzard content planned for next year will benefit from more development time to reach its full potential
While we are still planning to deliver a substantial amount of content from Blizzard next year, we are now planning for a later launch for Overwatch 2 and Diable IV than originally envisaged.”
So, for how long must be wait? Indeed, with regards to Overwatch, we’re looking forward to making sure the game is published as soon as possible for the sake of competition. Accordingly, we’ll be keeping an eye out!
Following a season filled with a some flashy endings, Los Angeles Gladiators are looking to build on their roster with some new blood. Although finishing with a strong placing at OWL Playoffs, there’s more potential here. Accordingly, they’ve signed a brilliant new talent – read on to learn about Los Angeles Gladiators Reiner!
Los Angeles Gladiators Reiner – Fishing from Challengers
What can we say? This roster could use the 19 year old’s youth and skill. Indeed, with his addition, the roster looks like this:
Indy “SPACE” Halpern
Kevin “kevster” Persson
Jinseo “Shu” Kim
Kim “skewed” Min-seok
Daniel “FunnyAstro” Hathaway
Seonchang “ANS” Lee
Corey “Reiner” Scoda
Accordingly, this youngster has been waiting for his chance. After 3 years in Contenders and a dominant season, he’s finally made it to the big-leagues. Indeed, by dominant we mean dominant, with an almost perfect record this past year:
Credits: OWL
1st @ – September, November, December, April, June, July, September and October NA Contender events!
If he can fit into the roster, this team could be deadly. With a combination of veteran leadership and now young talent, it has the makings of a strong contender. We’ll be curious to see how this team performs in the future.
So, with the season done and dusted, let’s talk about Overwatch. Accordingly, following these three seasons of the Ovewatch, we’re ready to discuss the future of Overwatch. Indeed, read on to check out our next episode of State of the Community as we gather our thoughts on the topic.
The Future of Overwatch – Taking a Look at the Past
Credits: Activision Blizzard
Let’s take a moment to quickly recap the history of Overwatch esports at the highest level:
Everything kicked off with an incredible launch in May of 2016, attracting the entire community’s attention
Activision-Blizzard hosts a World Cup that year very successfully, and across 2017 many third party events are held and successful
Activision-Blizzard decides to create the Overwatch League in 2018, with the inaugural season receiving a lot of love
Since then, the title has been ageing and so has the community
For those unaware, the Overwatch League is a franchised league, similar to the likes of LCS or the Call of Duty League as examples.
Indeed, for the past three seasons, franchised teams have competed for global dominance while over in Contenders, younger talent is competing.
Bearing this framework in mind, let’s focus on isolating what’s gone well and what hasn’t for the league so far.
The Ups and Downs of the Overwatch League
With regards to Ups and Downs, below find a quick summary with some of the most important points for both sides.
Positive Points/Ups:
Managed to create a global franchised league – much more expansive than the likes of the Call of Duty League for example
After the first season, an expansion of more teams was done – a massive one of 8 teams which is astonishing
The first few seasons offered some great competition and viewership, inviting a lot of sponsorship deals across the world
The Overwatch World Cup was a historic event for the esports industry
At the time of release, it brought a new side to PC shooters
Credits; Blizzard
Negatives/Downs:
A poor management of the Contenders side of competition has resulting in many organizations dropping out of this area
Over the past few seasons, viewership has been suffering compared to where it once was
Recently, multiple professionals have been leaving the scene for titles such as VALORANT
Loss of sponsors recently due to internal problems over at Blizzard
Title of Overwatch growing slightly stale – no major changes in a while
There’s a lot to consider here. Do note that some of the negatives are only recent, especially the loss of sponsorships due to problems at Blizzard – hopefully that’s fixed soon.
Concerns for the Future of Overwatch – Retiring Pros and Declining Viewership
Now, let’s dive into showing some statistics to back up two of our main concerns. First, below find a list of professional players who have retired from competition:
Riku “Ripa” Toivanen – London Spitfire
Kim “birdring” Ji-hyeok – Los Angeles Gladiators
Kim “BiaNcA” Dong-wook – New York Excelsior
Min-jae “Friday” Jo – New York Excelsior
Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth – Boston Uprising
Jung-keun “Rapel” KIM – Dallas Fuel
Harsha “Harsha” Bandi – Coach at Houston Outlows
Credits: Blizzard (Robert Paul)
What’s concerning is that these are some of the top players in the world on established franchises choosing to leave it all behind.
Furthermore, below you can find the statistics for the staple event of the year – the OWL Playoffs, for the past few years:
2018 Playoffs OWL – Peak Viewers 349,592
2019 Playoffs OWL – Peak Viewers 318,019
2020 Playoffs OWL Grand Finals – Peak Viewers 183,036
2021 Playoffs OWL – Peak Viewers 134,320
Accordingly, it all seems to be heading downwards should nothing change. Of course, the past two years of online competition likely may have had an effect here too – worth considering.
Excitement for the Future of Overwatch – A New Title?
Credits: Blizzard
Turning over the page, is our concluding statement.
Indeed, despite everything we’ve listed – Overwatch 2 is on the way. This could be just what the competition needs – new mechanics, new excitement and simply more energy.
Everything hinges on the success of this upcoming title.
Accordingly, with the Overwatch post-season here, rostermania is quite normal. Indeed, after a whole season it’s the best time to rebuild and start new. Accordingly, read on to learn about some of the earlier changes concerning Overwatch Rostermania 2022!
Indeed, new content is always essential to keep a game up to shape. Accordingly, the new Overwatch Map Malavento is here to entertain the community in the off-season before Overwatch 2. Read on as we cover this new map in the following concise article
Overwatch Map Malavento – What to Know
Set in the Italian countryside
Free-For-All Map
Went live in the September 28th
Found in arcade and custom game modes
The Italian countryside is calling.
Dive into Malevento, Overwatch’s new Deathmatch map! Team up and take down your enemies in winding stairwells, quiet cobblestone streets, or the Talon’s secret den. LIVE NOW! pic.twitter.com/Umc0e6kWAp
Take a look at the following words from Blizzard in their official patch notes:
Battle along the cliff’s edge for dominance of the majestic Duomo di Malevento. Circle your opponents beneath the mournful stone eyes of Caterina Pastore, a Renaissance painter with a tragic past, or plot the downfall of your enemies in the mysterious safe house
Will you find victory in these twisting streets, or will the curse of Malevento claim you too?
What’s there to talk about? Well, this is the first new map in a while now. Accordingly, it’ll definitely offer some exciting new refreshing gameplay as we head into the offseason.
Credits: Blizzard
Do note that as part of the September 28th update, there are also some small touch-ups to two certain heroes with regards to bugs – Briggete and Winston.
Indeed, over the past week, we witnessed the conclusion of the OWL Playoffs 2021. Accordingly, with the conclusion of the competitive season, we have a lot to discuss. Read on as we offer a short recap on this topic – Shanghai Dragons Win OWL 2021!
Heading into this competitive season, Shanghai Dragons were hoping to shape things up. Indeed, with multiple second and third places across the years, perhaps this could be their year? It seems so.
Let’s take a look at the journey of the Dragons in order to claim the crown this season:
Quarterfinals – Shanghai Dragons vs San Francisco Shock (3-0)
Semifinals – Shanghai Dragons vs Los Angeles Gladiators (3-1)
Winners’ Finals – Shanghai Dragons vs Dallas Fuel (3-1)
Grand Finals – Shanghai Dragons vs Atlanta Reign (4-0)
Indeed, with $3,000,000 on the line, the Dragons looked to change everything. As one of the favourites for the event, especially following a win at the Summer Showdown, they had everything it took.
Furthermore, they did so in an incredible way. Specifically, it’s at the Grand Final that the organization really showed its dominance with a superb 4-0 sweep over other favourites Atlanta Reign.
Over the past weekend, at the OWL Playoffs 2021, we got to witness some competitive Overwatch 2! Indeed, after all this time, the excitement was there. However, not everyone had the chance to check it out. Accordingly, read on for a quick summary about some Overwatch 2 Changes which have been made public!
Overwatch 2 Changes – A Concise List
This is it: the first official Nanoblade wipe of Overwatch 2! @Birdring
So, take a look at what the community learned from the Exhibition match between professionals:
New Game Mode – ‘Push’. Here, the point is to escort a robot to move a barricade with attacking players stopping and defending players pushing.
Map Design – seems to be more open and with less chokepoints than the previous title compared to Overwatch
Improved UI – it looks to be a more understandable and clear experience for users and viewers
More Aggressive Gameplay – supposedly, the community understood that action was way more aggressive as it encouraged everyone to participate
Hero Tuning is in effect – although we had a slight glimpse at some of the Heroes, it’s clear that some changes are still underway
Credits: Overwatch
Accordingly, there’s a lot to look forward to. Indeed, as we move closer to the release date, we’ll be keen to learn more. At every step of the way, Blizzard need to listen.
It’s no secret that Overwatch has been in a tough spot. Indeed, this is the point of change.
This past week, Blizzard went public with an announcement. Accordingly, the OWL Rostermania Rules 2022 are live and very essential for this upcoming offseason. Read on as we list all the key information for the incoming rostermania.
OWL Rostermania Rules 2022 – Some Key Dates
Credits: Blizzard
Accordingly, let’s take a look at this easy to read list. Take a quick read below:
25th September 2021 – the end of the OWL 2021 Season
26th September 2021 – players may be submitted for League Office review. Here, all player trades are subject to League Office before making any changes. Otherwise, extending player contracts requires no official approval.
2nd October 2021 – deadline for extending player contracts
9th October 2021 – players with unextended player contracts may become free agents
10th October 2021 – free agents may be signed onto teams
3rd January 2022 – deadline for teams to have at least five players with season-long contracts for 2022
1st March 2022 – deadline for teams to have at least six players signed with season-long contracts for 2022
Credits: Blizzard
There are a lot of changes rumoured in the community. Within the press release, there are more details regarding to the specifics of contracts.
We’ll be sure to keep up to date with OWL Rostermania.
