http://nga.178.com/read.php?tid=14979373

Question: What is your opinion on the current development of Contenders, since while attention to the tournaments and standards of them aren't as high as OWL, it is important for developing player talent?

Nate: 2018 is considered a successful year for Contenders. We will be implementing many new changes to Contenders in 2019 that will be announced at a later date. We are happy to see players in each region stand out in their respective region of Contenders, and hopefully they will come to the OWL stage.

Q: It seems that the offseason for the Overwatch League is too long now. With 8 new teams in the next season, will the duration of the league be longer?

N: After the season ended we listened to many of the players, team owners, fans and partners for feedback. Many players mentioned that the league season was too long, and wanted a longer rest period. We also hope to give fans and partners more time to digest the events that happened in the league. Right now we are nearing completion of a new schedule for the 2019 season, we will announce it to the public on a later date.

Q: The observers in OWL are [for lack of a better word] trash, sometimes nothing interesting is happening on camera. Seems like after having the replay system, it feels pretty lazy.

N: Improving the OWL viewing experience is one of our foremost priorities, we will be improving it next season.

Q: Would OWL have a draft system similar to the NBA, and if so when will it be implemented?

N: Right now we don't have a draft system, though we think that it is an interesting idea. Perhaps we will consider it in the future.

Q: OWL's previous partners were mainly sports teams organizations (e.g. Kraft Group, Kronke etc.), just like Guangzhou. What I would like to ask is, what are the reasons for OWL to select Bilibili and Huya [to establish OWL teams]? Conversely, why do you think Bilibili and Huya opted to join OWL [by establishing their own teams]?

N: Guangzhou's [operator, the] Nenking Group is a strong team operator in traditional sports, and the operators of the other 2 new Chinese teams are outstanding broadcast platforms. In the past, they've [Bilibili and Huya have] built strong community foundations and provide excellent products. They also have experience in building esports teams. We don't want to miss out on this opportunity to collaborate with these two companies.

Q: Nate, who's your favourite OWL player?

N: Currently I have more than 130 favourite players. :)

Q: NA leagues like that NBA, NHL etc. have in recent times held matches in China. Would OWL hold matches in China, be it during the preseason or regular season?

N: Right now we don't have much to share, but we plan to do one better than them. We are trying our best to get all the Chinese teams stadiums in China to get play their regular season games in, instead of holding showmatches for teams during the preseason in China.

Q: Do you yourself play Overwatch? If so, what do you main?

N: I play Overwatch daily, right now I'm addicted to the Deathmatch game mode. I play Roadhog. (Roadhog is very strong in this mode!)

Q: Are there plans to expand the streaming platforms in China for season 2? Like Douyu, Huya, Bilibili etc.

N: By the end of the 2018 season we've had 3 wonderful streaming partners in Zhanqi, NetEase CC and PandaTV. Currently we are in talks with other platforms, we would like to share any new updates on this in the coming months.

Q: How is the OWL operations team viewing the Chinese market? Seems like OWL's influence in China isn't that great. Are there plans to partner with more Chinese enterprises, get more Chinese sponsors, and expand China's involvement in the League?

N: Absolutely. We are establishing a Chinese wing based in Shanghai to expand collaboration opportunities with Chinese brands. We value this market heavily, and hope for greater growth here.

Q: Have you considered new spectating perspectives for OWL and other tournaments, such as being able to switch between individual players' perspectives etc.?

N: With regards to switching between individual players' perspectives, we think that this is a very cool idea, and is definitely under consideration.

Q: Are there plans to open an apparel shop in China? It is very difficult for many, many Chinese fans to buy merchandise. It could be used to promote OWL, just like how the NBA partnered with Nike and Adidas to sell merch.

N: Right now promotion and sales for OWL merch in China isn't very ideal. We are trying to bring merch from the other teams to all our Chinese fans next year, not just merch from the Shanghai Dragons.

(This question was asked and answered in English)

Q: Hello Nate I would like to know If there is any official procedure for the "former"-league-players to get back to the league. Some of the players were indeed underestimated, some have the potential, and some just did not have the right chemistry with their teammates. Yet they left the team (or got fired), the league but they didn't quit Overwatch, what If they managed to overcome their weakness or prove their worth?

N: All past players whether Contenders or Overwatch League all eligible to be signed to an Overwatch League team provided they are in good standing and meet the age requirements. The League does not influence who the teams sign; though I expect that many players who did not have their contracts picked up by existing teams will be given an additional shot by a team somewhere in the ecosystem.

Q: Since there's the World Cup and OWL All-Stars, is it time for an Overwatch celebrity match? Jeff [Kaplan] vs Nate Nanzer? Matches against the casters and hosts? Or matches between other OW celebrities?

N: I would definitely lose to Jeff in a 1v1...

Q: Do you think the Blizzard Arena in Los Angeles is sufficiently big?

N: The Blizzard Arena used to be a recording studio, many well known TV programs (such as Jay Leno's Tonight Show) were shot there and was a world-class broadcasting area. At the same time, we expect that the stadiums of the individual teams would be bigger than the Blizzard Arena, provide more seating and a greater viewing experience for the live audience.

Q: After team localization is implemented travel costs would make up a big portion of the budget, not to mention fatigue experienced by the players when travelling across the world. How would you solve this issue?

N: Adding 3 new Chinese teams actually helps reduce the burden of travel for teams. Currently we have 5 teams in Asia, having host/visitor matches in this region would not have a great impact on travel. However, the cool thing about localization is that all teams across the world will compete with other teams from other regions, so teams would still have to travel across the world.

Q: Many people are lamenting about the little social media interaction between the official game and the Overwatch League, do OWL teams have ideas for them to interact with the game itself?

N: The OWL team and development team have a very close relationship. We collaborate to make sure OWL can have the highest levels of gameplay. The development team is actually our biggest partner. Without them, the league would not even exist.

Q: The patch on the tournament realm have been heavily criticized for being outdated in comparison to the live client. Would OWL consider the tournament client be updated simultaneously with the live client for the next season?

N: Next year we would heavily collaborate with the dev team to implement a complementary patch update cycle, so that the OWL patch can be as close to the live patch as possible.

Q: Nate, how is OWL looking in the Chinese market?

N: We are very confident in the Chinese market, this is why we have 3 new Chinese teams next season. Without a doubt China is one of the largest markets for esports, and has one of the most passionate fanbases. We would like this market to have greater influence.

Q: How do you preserve the quality of competition, given that there are more teams next season?

N: Being the main organizer of the Overwatch League, we ensure each and every team operator is of the highest quality. Also, our "Path to Pro" is designed to find and help upcoming talent for them to join the Overwatch League. In Contenders China, we've seen many players with great potential, we hope to see more Chinese players on the OWL stage.

Q: Would there be more exclusive content for China, such as [Twitch] All-Access and away skins?

N: We are still having talks with our media partners for broadcasting plans for next year. Right now we don't have anything we can share, but we will more providing more content for the players, and continue to improve the viewing experience.

Q: What do you consider when giving out new team spots?

N: Our goal is to collaborate with the best team operators in the best markets. Adding 3 new teams in China would hopefully help the Overwatch esports ecosystem here.

Q: Since the league is expanding next year, OWL would be getting more investments. What are you planning to do with these new investments?