Activision Blizzard har nå annonsert de første syv som har kjøpt seg og laget sitt inn i Overwatch League. Listen med franchisetakere inneholder både etablerte og nye esportorganisasjoner, og er som følger:
· Robert Kraft, styreformann og daglig leder i Kraft Group og New England Patriots (Boston)
· Jeff Wilpon, medgrunnlegger og partner i Sterling.VC og driftssjef hos New York Mets (New York)
· Noah Whinston, daglig leder i Immortals (Los Angeles)
· Ben Spoont, daglig leder og medgrunnlegger i Misfits Gaming (Miami-Orlando)
· Andy Miller, styreformann og grunnlegger av NRG Esports (San Francisco)
· NetEase (Shanghai)
· Kevin Chou, medgrunnlegger av Kabam (Seoul)
Activision Blizzard-sjefen Bobby Kotick sier følgende i pressemeldingen:
"Overwatch already connects over 30 million players worldwide. The Overwatch League will celebrate and reward our most accomplished players and give fans more opportunities to engage with each other. We're excited to be working with leaders from esports and traditional sports to celebrate our players and to establish the Overwatch League."
Jeff Wilpon fra Sterling.VC legger til:
"It's an honor to be selected as one of the ownership groups in the inaugural season of its new league. We view our participation in the Overwatch League as a major opportunity to take a lead position where technology is converging with sports and media. This partnership with the Overwatch League and with some of the elite ownership groups in professional sports, offers a unique opportunity to connect with millions of dedicated fans, engaged and passionate about one of the world's fastest growing sports, and to continue proudly representing New York."
Har du troen på Overwatch som esport?