Overwatch League has the pieces to build something that could last

Since the first announcement of Blizzard’s Overwatch League, I’ve tried to stay excited. After all, this is the first time that an esports organization was going to do some of the things I’ve always said I wanted: city-based teams, seasonal play, and base-pay for players. The problem is that in the time since Blizzard revealed the idea in November 2016, I’ve started to think that even with all the things I like about the Overwatch League concept, that I still wouldn’t want to tune in. I’ll need time to see if I grow attached to any of the teams, but now that I’m witnessing the season for myself, it’s obvious the Overwatch League has a future.

The great news for the Overwatch League is that this model works. In action, the matches look a lot like high-level play from other competitive Overwatch events, but the key is to find ways to give the audience a reason to care about the results of that play.