With the 2018 Overwatch league in the rear view mirror, Blizzard has been assembling a larger deck for next year’s season. With the hefty team fees of up to $60 million, it’s a high-value slot, so various corporations interested in getting into eSports have been eager to field teams. Atlanta, Guangzhou, and Toronto were previously confirmed or just as good as confirmed, but now several other cities have been added to the bench.
Announced today, teams in Chengdu, Hangzhou, Paris, Vancouver, and Washington, D.C. have been confirmed to join the 2019 season of the Overwatch League. According to Blizzard’s blog post on the subject, these are the following corporate sponsors for the new teams including the previously revealed Toronto:
- Aquilini Group—A diversified family business that owns the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks and Rogers Arena and manages a global conglomerate portfolio will operate the team in Vancouver, Canada
- Bilibili—A leading online entertainment company in China, covering a wide array of genres and media formats—including videos, live broadcasting, and mobile games—will operate the team in Hangzhou, China
- DM Esports—A global company focused on esports entertainment and investments will operate the team in Paris, France
- HUYA Inc.—A leading game livestreaming platform in China will operate the team in Chengdu, China
- OverActive Media—An integrated company delivering esports and video game entertainment to the Canadian market will operate the team in Toronto, Canada
- Washington Esports Ventures—A sports organization founded by Mark Ein, owner of the Washington Kastles of World Team Tennis, to build and promote esports enterprises will operate the team in Washington, D.C.
If you’re hoping for team names and logos to figure out who you should root for based on what jersey will look coolest, you’ll have to wait until we get a little closer to the 2019 season.
Source: Game Informer Five New Teams From China, North America, And Europe Join Overwatch League