Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard has confirmed to be late on payments for the second season of NA's Overwatch Contenders, totaling to less than 10% of total wages to be paid. In a report from Dot Esports, numerous players who competed in the first and second season have confirmed that their payments were failed to be made or arrived months later.

Overwatch Contenders players receive their payments directly from Blizzard Entertainment instead of collecting them through an organization. Players have complained about the lack of contact from Blizzard, stating that administrators could take several days to reply. One of the players is still waiting for his prize money from seaon two, while two other players said it took five months to receive their payment from season one. A spokesperson for Overwatch Contenders told Dot Esports:

“Player wellbeing is incredibly important to us, and our payment system is designed to protect our players by giving them the option to collect winnings directly from Blizzard,”

The spokesperson guaranteed that Blizzard is working directly with the affected players to process the overdue payments this month. To ensure that players are paid in time, the company has hired a liaison: “We have also recently added a dedicated staffer who regularly communicates with Contenders players and teams directly via email, phone, and instant-messaging services. This person is actively following up on missing information from the remaining players that we need to process payment.”

In Blizzard's official rulebook for Overwatch Contenders, there is no specification of timeframe for player payment. Currently, the company holds controversy for its changes to the format of the Overwatch League and what this could possibly mean to the future of competitive Overwatch. The lack of payment raises even more questions on the capability of the company to follow through with tournaments.