overwatch league popularity

Overwatch has made over a billion dollars since it first launched back in 2016. Although Blizzard is a mammoth of a company and quite frankly a billion dollars isn’t really a game changer, it’s still fairly a large sum of money nonetheless. The game is a global phenomenon that has gripped the world by storm, and its competitive Overwatch league is responsible for most of the fame that the online first-person Multiplayer has garnered. 

Overwatch League Is a Major Contributor to the Growth of Esports

The mammoth streaming service Twitch paid over $90 million for the rights to overwatch, and the growth of the game has only skyrocketed since then. It holds a pivotal and irreplaceable spot in the eSport ecosystem, and it is estimated that it will contribute immensely to the overall growth of the eSports market. If you factor in the millions in media rights, merch, and items sale and of course league sponsorship, Overwatch is a significant contributor and might, in fact, be the game that will push eSports over that Billion dollar mark.

It is estimated that over 30% of overwatch players buy some form of Overwatch League merch in support of their favorite teams in championship matches or tournaments. This means that eSport has developed to the point where team jerseys and hats and hoodies are basically standard at this point. The game has provided an outlet to all eSport enthusiast and furthered the growth of gaming as an actual sport- an alternative to be more exact.

 

Major Investment for the Sponsors That Invested in Overwatch Teams

Overwatch League sponsors-

A recent survey has shown that unlike most ads campaigns that large companies use as facets to reach the people, eSports actually touch the people. During interviews in several overwatch tournaments, it has been discovered that fans actually do some digging into some of the sponsors of their favorite teams and some even go out on a limb to buy something. 

eSport has been growing steadily over the past few years, and it might be presumptuous to say this, but overwatch could be one of the few games that will lead eSports to the top of the entertainment world.

 

Sold out Arenas at Every Turn

The 2018 finals was held in New York, and a lot of people were worried about the turnout. There was some speculation that the change of location was too abrupt and it could possibly jeopardize the success of the finals but boy were they wrong. The shift in demography had the opposite effect on the turnout. The tickets sold out almost immediately. Millions of people flew in from all over to watch the finals in person, clearly streaming the Overwatch league on Twitch wasn’t going to do it anymore. Spectators that have followed the overwatch league standings all season supported the league vigorously.

It might seem reasonable to see everyday PC tech companies sponsor specific eSport teams or events. Seeing their shirts and gears branded with regular names like Nvidia and AMD, but its something else to see everyday companies that have nothing to do with the tech world sponsor events and teams. This year sponsors to the overwatch championship might shock most gamers and diehard fans. 

Companies none other than Coca-Cola, Toyota, T-mobile, HP, and Intel have gotten involved in the overwatch phenomenon. Most of the sponsors on this line up aren’t that much of a surprise, but Coca-Cola’s involvement in the overwatch league certainly deviates from the norm that has been established for quite some time now. There were speculations that a  deal was in the works, but nothing substantial was confirmed. However, in February, it was confirmed that Coca-Cola will be the official sponsor of all non-alcoholic beverages in several overwatch leagues to come. This is confirmation that non-tech company finally realizing what eSports could mean for the entire world and online streaming in general. They want to get on the eSport train, and they are using overwatch as to do it.

 

Overwatch as a Platform for Women Gamers Everywhere

Kim Geguri Se-yeon women in Overwatch league
Kim Geguri” Se-yeon of the Shanghai Dragons in Seoul, SK

For the longest time, women have been objectified in gaming franchises. They have been portrayed as sexual objects, damsels, wearer of impractical armor, and supporting characters. Although that has changed over the years and female characters don’t particularly fit into those stereotypical classifications, a lot of things about eSports and the treatment of women hasn’t changed.

However, things are really looking up with the emergence of Overwatch professional players such as Kim “Geguri” Se-Yeon. She is the first female professional overwatch professional gamer that participates in the Overwatch league. Needless to say, it’s a pretty big deal. 

https://www.gamerwomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/overwatch-league-popularity-1024x569.jpghttps://www.gamerwomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/overwatch-league-popularity-300x300.jpgFeaturedUncategorizedesports,esports games,overwatch esports,overwatch event,overwatch league,overwatch league finals,overwatch league merch,overwatch league teams,overwatch league twitch,overwatch on pc,overwatch xbox one,owl league,the overwatch league,twitch overwatch league,women esportsOverwatch has made over a billion dollars since it first launched back in 2016. Although Blizzard is a mammoth of a company and quite frankly a billion dollars isn’t really a game changer, it's still fairly a large sum of money nonetheless. The game is a global phenomenon that...Where Women & Gaming Unite