Today, the Overwatch League has announced a multi-year partnership with HP and Intel that will also extend across other Overwatch esports tournaments.

For the players, this means they'll be playing on stage using HP Omen PCs and displays, which will be powered by Intel Core i7 processors.

For the fans, the hope is that HP and Intel will be able to engage with and help grow the community by creating original content with the teams and players.

The Overwatch League has announced a massive multi-year partnership with HP and Intel

Other competitive Overwatch events will also benefit from the hardware manufacturer deals

Mike Sepso is the co-founder of MLG, and a current Senior Vice President at Blizzard. He spoke to the Mail Online about the deal, and the way they plan to grow the Overwatch League over the coming years.

Sepso said having two global brands on board is proof of the value of the infrastructure and systems Blizzard has put in place for the Overwatch League.

'Due to the global system and team franchising infrastructure, it really creates a strong platform for big brands to connect with,' he said.

'And it's not just the structure we've created, but it's also been with the support of our 12 franchise team owners who are all big names in esports and traditional sports.'

Massive esports organisations such as Cloud9, Immortals, and OpTic Gaming will be paying the $20 million (£15 million) OWL entry fee.

Then you also have Overwatch League teams owned by the likes of Robert Kraft, CEO of the Kraft Group and New England Patriots, and Stan Kroenke, owner of the LA Rams and Arsenal football club.

Overwatch is a hugely popular game played by over 35 million people, lots of esport potential

Senior Vice President at Blizzard Mike Sepso says the deals are the biggest he's ever seen

As the co-founder of MLG, Mike Sepso has overseen sponsorship deals worth millions of dollars over the years, but nothing like this.

'These two deals with HP and Intel represent the largest deals I've ever seen in the space,' he said.

However, he was unable to disclose exactly how much the deals are worth just yet. Expect that information to become public over the coming weeks.

It's not just about the money though, because Sepso says they are 'true partners, not just advertisers. Both have put a tremendous amount of resources, both financial and personnel, into the relationship.'

In terms of the advertising the audience will see, there will be traditional 30 second commercials during streams, and you'll be able to see the branding on the PCs while the teams are playing.

'But parts of these deals are about creating additional content about the players and teams. There's been a tremendous amount of thought put into making sure the brand messages are authentic.'

Teams like the London Spitfire are owned by existing large esports organisations like Cloud9

OpTic owns the Outlaws, and sports owners like Robert Kraft are involved with other teams too

Seeing huge sponsorship deals for existing tournaments is nothing new, but the Overwatch League hasn't even started yet. Is there a risk for these sponsors that the OWL won't get off the ground and not coming back for subsequent years?

Mike Sepso doesn't think so.

'There's no risk of it not happening. Everyone is on board to invest in and grow the league. The key is how quickly we can grow off the huge player base and create a global fan base on top of it.

'The risk is more in the execution, how big it can grow and how quickly. but it's mitigated because of the structure, and the direct involvement of Blizzard, MLG, and the 12 team owners who are all pushing for it to be a big success.'

The Overwatch League is due to begin on January 10, 2018, but there will be preseason exhibition matches from December 6.

In addition, the Overwatch World Cup Top 8 will be live from Blizzcon tomorrow and Saturday.