![]() ![]() Unlike the previous year, the Stage Four Finals were bypassed for a play-in tournament system, in which the teams ranked 7-12 in the standings would compete for two spots in double-elimination playoffs. The 2019 season would play out much like 2018 with four stages, and Stage Finals continuing to act as a buffer between. The 2018 season proved successful and more companies, organizations, and investors wanted in. Instead, rumors indicated a price range of $30-60 million. Gone were the days of a mere $20 million franchise buy-in. These expansions came at a hefty price, though. Here are the 8 new teams joining the league! /zhkrNYDlko 22,000 fans filled the arena, and Blizzard reported 10.8 million viewers across its global platforms, including primetime coverage on ABC and ESPN. The Grand Finals, held over the course of two days in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, were a spectacle on par with the lofty goals Blizzard had for the league. There they would meet another unlikely underdog, the fifth-place London Spitfire, who were surging after a midseason slump. They were on the receiving end of an upset defeat by Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee and the Philadelphia Fusion in the semifinals. Their league-best 34-6 record propelled JJoNak to the league’s first MVP award in a landslide, and made NYXL the favorites heading into the playoffs.ĭespite their dominance all season, the Excelsior found themselves coming up short of the Grand Finals. Fueled by the emergence of Sung-hyeon “JJoNak” Bang as the best player in the league, the Excelsior would go on to reach every Stage Final, taking home two titles in the process. The rest of the season was marked by the rise of NYXL, the most dominant team Overwatch had seen at the time. In a gutsy performance, London won three best of five series in a single day to lift the first trophy in OWL history. Their opponents in the playoffs would be Houston and New York, the two teams that had beaten them in the final week of Stage 1. After a strong start, the London Spitfire squeaked into the playoffs despite losing their final two matches. With only three teams making the stage playoff, the competition was extremely tight. Stage 1 would prove to be one of the most exciting in Overwatch League history. Both teams featured storied rosters (Dallas with the former Team Envy squad and Seoul bringing most of the Lunatic-Hai roster), and the match saw a peak of over 400k viewers on Twitch. ![]() Wednesday, January 10th saw the League open its season with the Dallas Fuel and Seoul Dynasty providing the marquee matchup. Each team would play 40 matches throughout the season, with their overall records deciding which six teams would compete for the title. The inaugural season of the Overwatch League would be played across four stages with “Stage Playoffs” acting as a buffer between each of the phases, with bragging rights and prize money up for grabs. The Overwatch League matches would take place in the Blizzard Arena in Burbank, California for the first season and the vast majority of the second season while the league found its footing. With the 12 locations set, the league was taking shape, and the start of the inaugural season was soon to come. The league would start its inaugural season with a total of twelve teams, as London, Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, and another Los Angeles team joined the fray. The first seven cities announced for the Overwatch League were Seoul, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, New York, Shanghai, and Florida. The $20 million buy-in for a franchise was a large investment, but investors from traditional sports, esports, and beyond lined up to secure their spots. The vision was a league that could finally thrust esports into the mainstream. With its city-based franchising, the league was a major departure from what esports fans were used to. ![]() Blizzard sought to make waves in the esports industry with a format similar to traditional sports. It was during Blizzard’s annual convention in 2016 – BlizzCon – that the Overwatch League was announced. ![]()
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