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
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
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
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?
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.
For more esports news, visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news
