The Overwatch League is a huge bet that a video game can become the next big professional sport. Making its debut in January 2018, the e-sports competition features teams from around the world, backed by big-name owners from the NFL and other major sports leagues. It has managed to lure prominent sponsors like Toyota and Coca-Cola, and netted broadcast deals with Twitch and ESPN. Along the way, the league signed its first female player, others were suspended for toxic behavior, and the drama of season 1 culminated in the Grand Finals at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Keep up with all of the latest developments right here.
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Overwatch League: all of the news about Blizzard’s ambitious e-sports league
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August 26
Overwatch League cancels its in-person playoff events
Qualifying teams will travel to Hawaii instead
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April 15
The key to the Overwatch League’s 2021 season is a trip to Hawaii
A new way for teams in Asia and North America to compete
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April 14
The Overwatch League is bringing back some live matches with a trio of events in China
An important step for the league
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October 7, 2020
After a rough 2020 season, the Overwatch League aims to end on a high note
Everything you need to know about the league’s Grand Finals weekend
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September 9, 2020
When the Overwatch League moved online, fans found new ways to connect
Fans from Paris, Dallas, and Chengdu explain how they coped without in-person events
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July 15, 2020
The Overwatch League’s Grand Finals championship will take place online
Blizzard details its plans for a remote playoff tournament
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June 8, 2020
The Overwatch League shifts to tournament format to boost 2020 season
Another big change in a tumultuous year
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May 20, 2020
YouTube’s Activision partnership finally leads to Call of Duty and Overwatch drops
You can get Overwatch drops starting Friday
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May 6, 2020
The Overwatch League’s troubles continue as top team drops entire roster
The Vancouver Titans will soon look very different
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April 28, 2020
Overwatch’s biggest star is moving to Valorant
Jay "Sinatraa" Won is leaving the San Francisco Shock
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April 22, 2020
Inside the Overwatch League’s remote production studio
An esports studio in the cloud
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April 9, 2020
Blizzard is making changes to Overwatch’s hero pools
Plus, map pools are being removed from competitive play
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March 13, 2020
Call of Duty League and Overwatch League are shifting to online-only games
Matches will still be broadcast
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March 11, 2020
Blizzard cancels all Overwatch League events in March and April
Another big blow for the esports league
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March 5, 2020
Overwatch’s first banned heroes are Orisa, Hanzo, Mei, and Baptiste
The hero pool makes its debut
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February 24, 2020
Overwatch League games in South Korea canceled amid coronavirus concerns
This follows the cancellation of several matches in China
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February 14, 2020
Blizzard moves previously canceled Overwatch League games from China to Korea
The matches were rescheduled due to coronavirus concerns
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February 6, 2020
The Overwatch League’s new season means travel, YouTube, and a constantly changing game
Some big shifts are in store for season 3
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January 30, 2020
Overwatch’s next patch adds experimental mode and League of Legends-style hero pools
Expect ‘more frequent and impactful balance updates’
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January 29, 2020
Overwatch League cancels February and March games in China following coronavirus outbreak
A big blow for Blizzard’s e-sports league
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January 24, 2020
YouTube signs exclusive streaming deal for Activision e-sports like Call of Duty and Overwatch
As part of a multiyear partnership between the game publisher and Google
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November 6, 2019
This teen Overwatch pro just had one of the best seasons in esports history
Jay ‘Sinatraa’ Won spent 2019 winning virtually every trophy
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November 5, 2019
Team Hong Kong’s unlikely journey to the Overwatch World Cup
Amid controversy, one team fights to prove they belong