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Cities in North America that deserve a team in the Overwatch League?
A successful inaugural season just wrapped up with the Overwatch League, which is an eSports league for video gamers and the like. There are 12 initial founding member teams across three continents of the world but majority of them are located in North America.
In recent days the Overwatch League has confirmed that before the start of its second season it will expand by 6 more teams. They announced that Atlanta will be one of those expansions.
Currently the Overwatch League has two teams in Los Angeles, 1 team each in New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, and Florida (a shared team between Miami and Orlando). Use this as a sort of directory (below) when referencing the teams that already exist in the Overwatch League but lets keep this discussion to only Canada, Mexico, and the United States and not address anywhere outside of North America as per forum rules.
In the coming seasons, Overwatch League will be playing in their host cities when arena agreements and venues have been decided in each market (the first season they all played in Los Angeles).
So for those familiar with the Overwatch League or those interested in video games, please chime in on which other cities you personally believe deserve to be a part of the league with future team expansions on the horizon. I'll make the thread poll multiple choice.
I'm not a homer whatsoever and you'd be hard-pressed to peg me a homer for anywhere I have ever lived in but will play the role of homer this time around and say that both Chicago and Washington D.C. deserve to have a team in the Overwatch League. I believe both will, likely in short order.
Last edited by Trafalgar Law; 08-05-2018 at 03:11 PM..
It's all about Fortnite now! Overwatch is soooo 2016.
I agree with Chicago and DC though. And yeah, eSports are getting only more and more popular, especially among Generation Z. Makes me wish I never stopped playing CS:GO, but I got a girlfriend and that's all she wrote.
How is Overwatch as an e-sport? There was a lot of hype back in 2016-17, but I think Fortnite took all the wind out of OW. I saw people going to an OW event here at Barclays center recently, was pretty tame on the outside compared to League finals at Madison Square Garden that I went to a couple of years ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubb Rubb
I agree with Chicago and DC though. And yeah, eSports are getting only more and more popular, especially among Generation Z. Makes me wish I never stopped playing CS:GO, but I got a girlfriend and that's all she wrote.
Haha, jokes on you. Me and my gf play video games together.
Deserve to watch??? I know 18 year old like to watch people be awesome at video games but I'm 33 I don't need to watch video games even if Bob Kraft buys a team.
Eight additional teams already announced for Toronto, Vancouver, Washington, Atlanta, Paris, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Guangzhou.
Not enough of a "home team" presence though to really justify naming them after cities yet. I think all games are played out of the US still?
They played out the first inaugural season in Los Angeles for all teams. Gradually as more markets build suitable dedicated e-sports arenas, the league will work on finding a home for every team in their host cities. Some places are well ahead of the pack already by already starting construction on their venues, which will allow live fan interaction with the gamers of both teams in the hosting venues.
That said, where is Chicago?
Last edited by Trafalgar Law; 09-07-2018 at 04:20 PM..
They played out the first inaugural season in Los Angeles for all teams. Gradually as more markets build suitable dedicated e-sports arenas, the league will work on finding a home for every team in their host cities. Some places are well ahead of the pack already by already starting construction on their venues, which will allow live fan interaction with the gamers of both teams in the hosting venues.
That said, where is Chicago?
Chicago is very clearly the largest missing US metro from the list to round out the top 10 US metros being represented + San Francisco (an obvious candidate for an esport). Orlando I think is probably far down the pecking order. I think teams in Seattle and Las Vegas could be possible and quite lucrative.
Good to hear about having home arenas and fan zones. Might finally bring esports up to the mainstream awareness (though hugely popular and profitable, are still largely contained to a set of niche viewers).
Chicago is very clearly the largest missing US metro from the list to round out the top 10 US metros being represented
Yeah.
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Originally Posted by svelten
+ San Francisco (an obvious candidate for an esport).
San Francisco has a team, the San Francisco Shock. They along with Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Houston, Boston, London, Seoul, Shanghai, and "Florida" were among the original 12 founding members of the league.
Quote:
Originally Posted by svelten
Orlando I think is probably far down the pecking order.
Yeah.
Quote:
Originally Posted by svelten
I think teams in Seattle and Las Vegas could be possible and quite lucrative.
As well as some international expansion teams in Asia and Europe. This sort of league should be a hit in prospective cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Moscow, Berlin, Stockholm, Taipei, Osaka, Busan, and Nagoya. Gaming is even more of a hardcore thing in some of these than many of the founding members. I suppose it is more a question of when rather than if with a lot of these places.
Quote:
Originally Posted by svelten
Good to hear about having home arenas and fan zones. Might finally bring esports up to the mainstream awareness (though hugely popular and profitable, are still largely contained to a set of niche viewers).
Yeah.
For example, Activision and Nintendo are getting to work on this development:
It's an arena and sort of a gaming plaza around the arena that enhances the atmosphere and experience for gaming fans and gamers alike. It makes going to see a game an experience rather than just a diversion to kill time. Most of the top gaming cities are also the cities that are hardcore into costume play, Anime, Marvel or DC Universe comics, franchise films (i.e. Star Wars, Star Trek, the Matrix, so on), comics and arcade culture in general.
Some cities have already started constructing (or designating) esports arenas that will either be the largest in the United States or amongst the largest:
Overwatch League will probably come across some growing pains, as is the norm for any newly established league in any sport (or esport), but once they're settled in every city then it will take off from there. What they have working for them is that they are appealing to a segment of the consumer base that is increasing in number.
Last edited by Trafalgar Law; 09-11-2018 at 03:43 PM..
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