Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
In the years since the Overwatch League esports scene launched, it’s safe to say the league hasn't maintained the hype that was energizing it during its first several seasons. Activision Blizzard recognizes it, too, and in its Q2 2023 earnings results, revealed that there will be a vote by Overwatch League team holders at the end of the current season. This vote will determine whether or not there will be further seasons of Overwatch League, or if the league officially shuts down.
Activision Blizzard announced details about the current state of Overwatch League, as well as the upcoming vote in its Q2 2023 earnings results posted on July 19, 2023. While it could easily be surmised that Overwatch League doesn’t have the support it had in its first few seasons, especially pre-pandemic, Activision Blizzard’s results painted a stark picture of exactly where things are as far as business goes: Total revenues from the Overwatch League made up less than 1 percent of Activision Blizzard’s overall consolidated net revenues.
With this in mind, while the sixth season of Overwatch League is still in play and will be until at least September 11, 2023, after the season ends, there will be a vote by team owners. That vote will determine whether or not the Overwatch League continues. If teams vote to continue, the Overwatch League could move forward under an amended operating agreement. If not, Overwatch League could be terminated and a termination liability payout to team entities may then occur.
While Overwatch League began full of energy and promise, the pandemic and general frustration among players with Overwatch 2 has done immense damage to the game’s popularity. With the 2023 season of OWL still ongoing, it may very well be the last depending on how the post-season vote goes. Stay tuned as we follow this story for further updates.