The Time is Right For Local Teams In Esports and The Overwatch League

The world is ready for larger, established esports leagues

Passionate Fans attending the Overwatch World Cup 2017 — Blizzard

The Overwatch League aspires to be “Worlds premier esport league, where teams and players can thrive for years to come, and fans are made for life.” Blizzard certainly picked their words carefully when scripting the introduction video of the new esports league centered around their hit game Overwatch. Every line, including the one seen above, was a statement on how this league will be a lasting figure in esports, a picture of stability and longevity.

One major differentiating factor that Blizzard and their 12 inaugural teams are banking on to make this dream a reality is the league’s city-based team structure. Each team will represent a major city around the globe, with the first season including representatives from Boston, Los Angeles x2, Miami-Orlando, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, London, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Houston. It is this same structure that has been the topic of conversation throughout the esports community.

12 city-based teams will compete in the inaugural Overwatch League season — Blizzard

Esports fans are no strangers to region based play with current leagues often established by country or continent, such as League of Legends’ NA LCS, EU LCS, LCK, and LPL leagues. The Overwatch League plans to take this structure a step further by having a more local, but global league with the competing teams regularly matching up with their international counterparts.

For the first season, all games will be played at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles while teams develop their own local venues for “home and away play” in future Overwatch League seasons. All of this means a steep investment for teams, one they believe will pay off in the long run by attracting local fans. Now one may ask, in the age of an internet-connected world with communities of fans around the world, why is it important to have city-based teams that play locally? Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Location, Location, Location.

People are drawn to their local teams. In a study done by Deloitte’s nascent sports division, hometown was the biggest factor in determining team loyalty at 40% with current residency ranking second, accounting for 22%. This almost tribal reaction can be seen even in today’s esports community, as consistent spams and chants for USA and EU fill chats and arenas during international competitions.

This local preference is mirrored in the viewing habits of sports fans as well. Magna Global’s latest sports media report showed that while national televisions broadcasts are decreasing in viewership, regional sports networks have had better luck retaining viewers compared to their national network peers, reinforcing the importance for fans to see their local teams.

Male online video viewing by nationality — Limelight Networks

With esports being such an international phenomenon, why did Blizzard go with such a U.S. heavy team lineup? According to a study by Limelight Networks, the United States male demographic reported watching more esports than any other nationality, with South Korea and other Asian markets ranking closely behind. These findings parallel Blizzard’s Overwatch League map with nine of the twelve teams being US based and two early additions in Asian markets.

A shift from players and personalities to team fandom

So local teams have a strong influence on fandom, but where does the esports community stand currently? A recent study by Nielsen found that an overwhelming majority of fans follow personalities and players rather than a specific team.

Esports fans follow individuals rather than teams — Nielsen

In the social age of Twitch, it’s no surprise that fans gravitate towards personalities and individuals. They often have a deeper emotional connection with these players and end up supporting the team they are currently playing on. However, Nate Nanzer of Blizzard thinks there’s a better way…

“You typically see fans of esports teams are fans of individual players, and then they kind of stick with that team over time. But we think there’s an opportunity to bring in people who are interested in esports but maybe haven’t engaged much with it by adding that geographic element. If you look at the way that teams make money in traditional sports, a lot of that has to do with local activity. When we think about adding stability to esports and to esports teams, we think localizing esports to some degree by having the city-based teams is going to unlock additional revenue opportunities for teams that don’t exist in today’s esports ecosystem.” — Nate Nanzer, Global Director of Overwatch esports, via Polygon

This idea goes well beyond revenue as well. The longevity of a team fandom will last much longer than a player’s career or stint on a specific team. As new talent ultimately replaces the stars of today, the strength of the fandom and interest in the league should be well preserved.

With such a strong focus on the franchises, team stability is an vital factor. Blizzard recognized this as well by adopting a traditional North American sports league structure, meaning teams have a permanent spot in the league. No relegation means regardless of performance, your local team will still be in the top league and have a fresh shot at a title every season.