Why the Overwatch League Grand Final was an important moment for esports

Have you ever seen 19,000 people jump out of their seat for a Hanzo ult? That’s what the attendees of the first ever Overwatch League Grand Finals got to witness. It happened on July 28, when Profit decimated almost the entire Philadelphia Fusion squad with his Dragonstrike, propelling London Spitfire headfirst towards victory.

For a game that’s only been around for two years, and only had a competitive scene for seven months, the sheer scale of Overwatch’s esports scene is nothing short of astounding. With money now flooding into the second season’s six open slots (ESPN reports that slots are going for $30-60m), many will be wondering, just how did the OWL become such a juggernaut, and so quickly?

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While the Overwatch League organisation is technically a separate corporate entity from the Overwatch development team, Blizzard’s ethos is all over it. One of the first things you’ll notice when tuning into any OWL livestream is that each map is introduced with a simple explainer video that lays out the rules of the game type about to be played. 

This is a small feature but it speaks to the overall attitude of the OWL. If it seems friendlier than other esports then that’s because it is. Could you imagine such an explainer accompanying any match at The International? 

from PCGamesN https://ift.tt/2Auy7M6