The Overwatch League has returned for its sixth year, and to get the lowdown, Dexerto sat down with Head of the Overwatch League Sean Miller to talk about the direction of the game as an esports, and the future of the product.
The Overwatch League has had a strange life since its inaugural season in 2018. A lot has happened since then, not just to Overwatch as an esport but to the broader esports landscape – hell, even to the world. It’s been a complex time to have started a franchised league.
Heading into this sixth season, though, there was a lot of change. In fact, it’s hard to keep on top of just how many points of discussion there’ve been. The question of YouTube exclusivity for the league, co-streaming, investment into the product like the new studio, the inclusion of Contenders teams in Tier 1, the evolving situation between Blizzard and China and where that places the Chinese teams, the age restrictions lowering, the Chengdu Hunters’ reported disbandment – it’s been a lot.
Thankfully, we got to sit down with Head of the Overwatch League, Sean Miller, the day after the league’s return to discuss all of it. Most strikingly to me, if I can editorialize, a theme that kept coming back as we discussed these topics was the sense of Overwatch 2 as an esport outside of the League itself. That seems to be a shift from the OWL’s monolithic dominance over the scene since that inaugural season.
I’ll let you come to your own conclusions. Here’s what Sean Miller and I got to talking about when we sat down.
Sitting down with Sean Miller
Patrick Dane: I watched the opening day last night and left impressed with the enhancements this year. It’s nice to see the