Building A Better Esport
HardwareMagBlizzard’s vision for the future of esports Blizzard’s Overwatch League is ending its inaugural season this month with the playoffs scheduled to kickoff next month. The grueling seven-month long competition started in January this year and sees 12 professional teams battling it out to win a share of its US$3.5 million prize pool. But while league viewership figures have been promising, the whole thing remains a massive gamble. Initially announced way back at Blizzcon 2016, the League is the most ambitious attempt at turning esports into a legitimate sports league to date. If it succeeds, Blizzard will set a new standard in esports that other games will look to follow, but if it fails, over three hundred million dollars will have been sunk into a venture that many said was doomed to fail right from the start ...
Building A Better Esport
HardwareMagBlizzard’s vision for the future of esports Blizzard’s Overwatch League is ending its inaugural season this month with the playoffs scheduled to kickoff next month. The grueling seven-month long competition started in January this year and sees 12 professional teams battling it out to win a share of its US$3.5 million prize pool. But while league viewership figures have been promising, the whole thing remains a massive gamble. Initially announced way back at Blizzcon 2016, the League is the most ambitious attempt at turning esports into a legitimate sports league to date. If it succeeds, Blizzard will set a new standard in esports that other games will look to follow, but if it fails, over three hundred million dollars will have been sunk into a venture that many said was doomed to fail right from the start ...