Is it over for Overwatch League? Major League Gaming hasn’t quite turned the lights off, but going by a recent announcement it may not have much of a future.
The official Overwatch League Twitter account posted a statement, explaining, “With the completion of the 2023 Overwatch League Season, we will be focusing on building our vision of a revitalized esports program.” That’s not 100 percent a farewell, but it’s a clear admission that things are going to change and that the current version of Overwatch League is going to be overhauled in a big way.
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— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) October 2, 2023
Is that due to the league, or the game itself, though? It’s true that interest in Overwatch 2 has been declining and it didn’t help that Blizzard cancelled the much-anticipated story mode. But the problem could be bigger than that. Activision Blizzard has previously expressed concerns that Overwatch League and Call of Duty League, both funded by the organisation, have struggled to find profit. The leagues are both organised by Major League Gaming but as that’s also an Activision Blizzard enterprise, they’re effectively in-house.
“Our collaborative arrangements for our professional esports leagues continue to face headwinds which are negatively impacting the operations and, potentially, the longevity of the leagues under the current business model,” Activision said back in May.
Call of Duty League has yet to make a similar announcement but in light of OWL’s statement, you can bet that questions will be asked, that’s if Activision Blizzard hasn’t already been asking them.
The Overwatch League statement ends with “We’re eager to share more with you as details are finalized,” but we’ll have to wait to find out if those details are anything other than “Goodbye.” Still, we’ll be covering the news if the game’s professional arm does officially end.
