The Overwatch League™ Signs Final Three Teams for Inaugural Season
September 20 2017 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
New owners, including Comcast Spectacor,
acquire teams for Dallas, Houston, and Philadelphia
Preseason begins December 6, 2017 at Blizzard
Arena Los Angeles
The stage is now set for the inaugural season of the Overwatch
League™. Teams for Dallas, Houston, and Philadelphia have signed
on, bringing the total for the first season to the targeted 12
franchises representing major cities in Asia, Europe, and North
America. The new team owners announced today are:
- Comcast Spectacor
(Philadelphia), leader in sports and entertainment and owner of
the Philadelphia Flyers
- Team Envy (Dallas), veteran
esports organization with experience across multiple genres
- OpTic Gaming (Houston),
established esports organization known for its passionate global
fan base
The Overwatch League also announced today that preseason play
will start on Wednesday, December 6, with a series of exhibition
matches featuring all 12 teams. The regular season will then kick
off on January 10 and will run into June, with playoffs and finals
scheduled for July. For the inaugural season, all preseason and
regular season games will take place at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles,
a state-of-the-art live-event venue in Burbank, California,
custom-renovated for Blizzard Entertainment esports events.
“We’re excited to kick off the inaugural season of the Overwatch
League,” said Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick. “We have the
very best team owners in esports and we will celebrate our
professional players better than any league ever has!”
“With the first 12 teams in place, we’re now just a few short
months away from the inaugural season of the Overwatch League,”
said Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment.
“This is a huge milestone for the league; we can’t wait for the
action to get underway and to see some of the top competitive
Overwatch® players in the world facing off to become the first-ever
Overwatch League champions.”
“Comcast Spectacor is thrilled to play a central role in the
Overwatch League’s inaugural season and energize the growing
esports community in Philadelphia and beyond,” said Dave Scott,
President and CEO, Comcast Spectacor. “An esports franchise is a
great addition to our portfolio of sports and entertainment assets
and we believe that Overwatch League is uniquely positioned to
succeed.”
"We are beyond excited to be joining the Overwatch League and
helping to build the future of esports in Dallas,” said Mike
Rufail, owner and CEO of Team Envy. “Envy already has a significant
history in competitive Overwatch, and we are pleased to be able to
build upon that legacy in the league later this year." Hersh
Interactive Group, the esports investing entity affiliated with
Hersh Family Investments, is a substantial investment partner in
Team Envy, which continues to be led by Mike Rufail. The Dallas
Overwatch League team is owned by a wholly owned subsidiary of Team
Envy.
“It's an absolute honor to represent the great city of Houston
in the Overwatch League,” said Hector Rodriguez, owner and CEO of
OpTic Gaming. “This is another significant milestone in OpTic’s
history and a testament to the loyal support of our fans. We’re
excited to continue shaping the future of esports and bring the
OpTic passion to the rapidly expanding Overwatch community.”
Further details about the Overwatch League, including team
specifics such as team names, logos, and colors, as well as more
information about the inaugural season’s schedule and format, will
be announced in the coming months.
About the Overwatch League™
The Overwatch League™ is the first major global professional
esports league with city-based teams across Asia, Europe, and North
America. Overwatch® was created by globally acclaimed publisher
Blizzard Entertainment (a division of Activision Blizzard - Nasdaq:
ATVI), whose iconic franchises have helped lay the foundations and
push the boundaries of professional esports over the last 15 years.
Among Blizzard’s stable of twenty-one #1 games,* Overwatch is the
fastest to reach more than 30 million players. Overwatch was built
from the ground up for online competition, with memorable
characters and fast-paced action designed for the most engaging
gameplay and spectator experiences. To learn more about the
Overwatch League, visit www.overwatchleague.com.
© 2017 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. OVERWATCH and OVERWATCH
LEAGUE are trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and
reports from key distribution partners.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking
Statements: Information in this press release that involves
Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or
strategies regarding the future, including statements about the
expected dates, events, and features of the Overwatch League, are
forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number
of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard
Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from
those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this
release include unanticipated product delays and other factors
identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s
most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this
release are based upon information available to Blizzard
Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this
release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard
assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when
made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not
guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or
Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and
other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause
actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170920005484/en/
Overwatch League Media
Contacts:Mark Van Lommelmvanlommel@blizzard.comorAndrew
Reynoldsareynolds@blizzard.comorMary
Osakomary.osako@activision.com
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