The way of Overwatch It’s been bumpy. Despite the fact that the free to play launch of Overwatch 2 has revitalized the IP of BlizzardAt a competitive level, the Overwatch League has not just seen its wounds heal.
The management model of the overwatch leaguethe league in charge of giving visibility to the hero shooter in the world of esports it has been heavily criticized over the years. There seems to be no profitability and getting a place means a huge outlay of money.
The weariness of the teams has become palpable over the years and that could have meant that now, the different members of the Overwatch League have hired a law firm to start a collective bargaining against the league.
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A new article by journalist Jacob Wolf reveals the ins and outs of this new chapter in competitive Overwatch history. Although, basically, everything is summed up in that the teams are looking to receive compensation to promote the sustainability of the league.
Each participant is estimated to have spent between $7.5 million and $10 million in franchise payments over the past six years, as well as more than $1 million in operating costs each. This comes to suppose up to 16 million invested.
The problem is that in all this journey since the launch of the hero shooter, the audiences and the performance of the Overwatch League have not been what was expected. The decision to join appears to have fallen to OverActive Media, the ownership group behind the Toronto Defiant.
Although a lot of time has passed, it is always important to remember that the 12 franchises that joined the Overwatch League project at the time reached commit for one 20 million dollars, even more with the passing of the seasons.
Debts and few benefits in the Overwatch League
The teams have a considerable debt with Activision Blizzard and to exemplify the little performance that this competition gives, Lori Burgess, director of operations of the company that leads the Houston Outlaws team, Beasley Esports made it clear.
The team pays some players more than $200,000 a year in salaries, and despite generating $1.4 million in revenue, the team still operates at a loss. This is also the fault of the league’s own reputation.
Overwatch has been deflating over the years, even though its popularity has soared largely thanks to the successful release of Overwatch 2. However, the absence of major sponsorships worsens the situation.
We remember that the sexual harassment cases at Activision Blizzard seriously damaged the league, which could not find large sponsors. The company’s agreement by which it left Twitch to sign with YouTube Gaming has also been another of the triggers for the situation that is still unknown how it will progress.