The most ambitious eSports project yet is coming sometime in 2017.
Blizzard Entertainment on Friday announced its plans at BlizzCon 2016 for the inaugural Overwatch League beginning next year, the first eSports league created at the outset which will have an inherent focus on driving revenue across ticketing, merchandise, sponsorships and media.
Sports team owners and executives Robert Kraft (New England Patriots), Stan Kroenke (Los Angeles Rams) and Josh Kroenke (Denver Nuggets) were all in attendance to hear the announcement.
“The Overwatch League represents not only the pinnacle of Overwatch competition, but also a genuine career opportunity for the most skilled Overwatch players,” Mike Morhaime, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment, said in a statement.