Overwatch as an esport

Overwatch as an Esport

And the cherry on top is not the World Cup, but the creation of the Overwatch League — an ecosystem for building professional teams. Outstanding players from all regions were invited to tell about themselves. Simultaneously, until October 30, 2017, potential sponsors could submit applications tied to a specific city. If Blizzard deems them reliable enough, another national team is formed, from which candidates can be selected from existing lists. Currently, there are announcements about nine such clubs. Existing organizations have become sponsors, but no one automatically gets in; everyone will have to renegotiate contracts through the Overwatch League. The contracts are stipulated for a year, with a minimum salary of $50,000 per year plus a portion of the winnings, health insurance, and retirement savings. Serious protection of rights! On the other hand, the contracts surely limit whims like «I’m tired, I’m leaving for competitors the day before the competition.» But there is no limit to perfection. In the Activision-Blizzard corporation, the latter is responsible for dominating the PC market, and on this platform, the path to billions leads to esports. The path laid by Starcraft began to expand. Hearthstone is shifting the focus from «hanging out with friends at a cafe» towards high achievements. Heroes of the Storm is trying to break into the MOBA market. Currently, it is far from being the «Dota 2 killer,» but the work continues. The next step in conquering the world was the studio’s own shooter — Overwatch. At the same time, the first new universe from Blizzard since 1998. The risks seemed enormous: a strange cartoonish project at the intersection of genres trying to fit into the tough market, and on a paid basis. Moreover, the year turned out to be fruitful for various hybrid MOBAs. But a huge marketing campaign, a loyal audience, and a high quality bar did their job. Overwatch received recognition and has been named game of the year multiple times. In the event of success, it would be reasonable for developers to abandon the national system at future World Cups. It’s better to open it up to mixed groups without a sponsor yet, but with a willingness to perform and show skill. This way, Overwatch can combine the familiar format of online competitions and the classic league system. In active regions like the USA, China, or South Korea, there is huge potential for developing internal competitions. Usually, the higher the level, the more interesting, but a match between hypothetical «Dallas Cyber Kittens» and «Tallahassee Dominators» will spark local interest. And interest attracts sponsors and advertisers, for example, a local pizza chain that cares more about regular appearances in branded jerseys than victories at the world championship. Right now, you’re either in the global top 30, or you’re left with no money. In the Overwatch League, the appearance of mid-level teams and an increase in the number of participants is possible. The more people on salary training around the clock, the higher the competition. Just like in South Korea, where esports is as popular as traditional disciplines.

The key lies in the first half of the equation — the audience. Not only in viewers, but in good players who will be watched, loved. And the audience is yet to grow. Overwatch has attracted many stars from Team Fortress 2, Quake, and other shooters, but that’s not enough. Moreover, individual personalities are not enough; teams are needed. Creating them quickly is not possible. But over the past year, Overwatch has become a full-fledged discipline: professional teams, sponsors, players on salaries, and a separate section on relevant websites. Heroes of the Storm with an 11-month head start is already falling behind, not to mention competitors from other studios. Blizzard is definitely growing. However, success alone is not enough for establishing oneself in esports. Spectacularity and a corresponding community are required. Overwatch has no problems with the first. There are more viewers than participants: compared to classic MOBAs, shooters are much clearer to the average person, and three-dimensional space and first-person view are more impressive than isometry. The structure of matches in Overwatch requires constant movement even from snipers, and the abundance of close-range characters creates space for continuous adrenaline-fueled clashes. Breaks between collisions last no more than ten seconds. The ultimate abilities system generates numerous «wow moments» that make you want to rewatch them. Developers deliberately laid the potential for broadcasts, championships, and simply boasting about their best moments. Blizzard meticulously approaches the preparation of its games. Their projects embody entire trends in the industry: Diablo gave birth to (and revived) the corresponding genre, Starcraft remains one of the pillars of RTS, and Hearthstone, despite the cries of MTG fans, unearthed CCG from the grave. To strengthen and develop the audience, developers decided to turn to classic schemes. Even the very first world championship stood out because the participants were national teams, partially chosen by audience voting. In 2017, national teams of the top 32 countries were formed in the same way. The trick of the approach is that it is much easier and more enjoyable to cheer for «your own,» especially for inexperienced viewers or casual people. Who’s playing? Russia versus the USA! And it’s immediately clear that it’s something important. For Asian countries, the change is insignificant: most of their teams are already national. And for Europe, switching from a faceless blue EU icon to the beloved stripes (or crosses) of individual countries could be a huge step in popularizing esports and Overwatch in particular.

There are no national restrictions: anyone can play for any country. Teams become representatives of individual cities, and sponsors themselves choose what’s best for their commercial interests: gather a dozen native Bostonians or buy the best from around the world. And the developers provide them with data on suitable individuals so that they don’t have to search for gems at local tournaments. Thus, Blizzard is organizing legal relations between the parties, creating a system of legionnaires, and developing the principles of national esports. And they rely more on a new approach than on the classic one: in the promised competition for the Overwatch League in 2017, the prize pool will be $3.5 million, with champions receiving a million. But where is the brilliant success? Last year, there was no prize pool at the Overwatch World Cup, in 2017 it will be $360,000. Progress is evident, but there is no comparison with the twenty million put on The International 2017.

For Russia, the Overwatch League will be a chance for worthy teams to emerge. In the 2017 World Cup, we failed to advance past the group stage. Strong Russian players usually compete in mixed teams from other countries since there is currently no active national squad. For participation in the World Cup, they come together temporarily, while the backbone of favorites is often already established. The cost of creating an Overwatch club is high by Russian standards, but esports is trending, and we hope for clubs to open at least in major cities. We are looking forward to it!