Overwatch 2 has been having a tough time, and that has translated to the Overwatch League, too. In response to an Activision Blizzard monetary report, the groups are voting on whether or not or to not proceed being within the league in any respect.
Overwatch 2’s rocky launch retains getting rockier
The monetary report in query from the second quarter of 2023 lays out the seemingly dire scenario relating to Overwatch 2’s aggressive league. It began out by saying that it continued to “face headwinds” and detailed how groups will maintain the league’s future of their palms. They’ll both obtain a $6 million termination payment from Activision Blizzard or proceed onward.
“In the course of the second quarter, we amended sure phrases of our collaborative preparations with workforce entities collaborating within the Overwatch League. In response to the amended phrases, following the conclusion of the present Overwatch League season, the groups will vote on an up to date working settlement. If the groups don’t vote to proceed below an up to date working settlement, a termination payment of $6 million will likely be payable to every collaborating workforce entity (whole payment of roughly $114 million). As of June 30, 2023, a termination legal responsibility has not been accrued.”
This large choice doesn’t have any form of date related to it, but it surely hasn’t come out of nowhere. In response to The Verge, the corporate simply laid of fifty folks in its esports division. Esports reporter Jacob Wolf additionally reported in Could 2022 that Activision Blizzard was owed round $125 million to $150 million in franchise funds (which had been initially postponed due to the pandemic). In June 2023, Sport Enterprise Journal reported that Activision Blizzard canceled a few of these charges. The Overwatch League then misplaced an entire workforce, because the Chengdu Hunters left in June.
This all paints a grim image of the league’s long-term viability, but it surely appears as if there are plans in place to proceed aggressive Overwatch in some kind. Overwatch League commissioner Sean Miller advised The Verge within the aforementioned report that the corporate was “dedicated” to the sport’s aggressive future.
“I wish to be clear on one factor specifically, that Overwatch stays dedicated to a aggressive ecosystem in 2024 and past,” mentioned Miller. “And we’re constructing towards a revitalized international scene that prioritizes gamers and followers.”
Miller didn’t present additional particulars, however mentioned the workforce is taking a look at different Overwatch leagues like Apex, which was a South Korean match sequence.
“We’re in ongoing conversations with groups internally and [players] are our prime precedence to make sure that this transition, ought to it happen, occurs in one of the simplest ways attainable,” he continued.
Miller expressed optimism for the long run, which was not matched by The Verge’s sources that had been laid off nor does it seem in line with the assorted different beforehand talked about developments.
Overwatch 2 itself has additionally taken some lumps. Whereas gamers have always ragged on the sequel for its gameplay modifications, heavy monetization, and variety of lacking options, the most important blow occurred when Blizzard introduced that it was severely downsizing the story missions (which gained’t be free, both). To many, this mode was what differentiated the sequel from the unique.
It appears as if which may have had an impact on the sport’s participant numbers since Activision revealed in that monetary report that the participant rely was down. Nonetheless, it’s anticipating a few of these gamers to return for the primary batch of story missions and new hero which can be dropping in August.
“Whereas engagement and participant funding in Overwatch 2 declined sequentially within the quarter, the Overwatch workforce is trying ahead to the August 10 launch of Overwatch 2: Invasion. This would be the largest seasonal replace but, deliberate to incorporate new PVE Story Missions, a brand new sport mode, and a brand new hero development system in addition to a further hero.”