Overwatch League strives for professionalism as e-sports grabs a global foothold

Blizzard aims to take e-sports to the next level, raising e-sports players to the heights of celebrity enjoyed by their counterparts in traditional sports, and carving out a place for e-sports in business and society. OWL Commissioner Nate Nanzer and the league’s teams say they will do this by professionalising the scene, combining expertise and massive investment from traditional sports and media organisations with the passion of the small endemic e-sports organisations and the legions of fans that drive the community.

The company recently announced the first seven cities and their teams: Shanghai, Seoul, New York, Boston, Miami/Orlando, LA and San Francisco. Owners of the first teams feature some of the biggest names in sports – Robert Kraft of Kraft Group and the New England Patriots, and Jeff Wilpon of Sterling VC and the New York Mets; major internet and entertainment companies – NetEase and Kevin Chou of Kabam; and also three endemic e-sports organisations – NRG E-sports, Misfits Gaming and Immortals.

Today the league also announced the first details of player salaries and benefits. Minimum salaries for players are fixed at $50,000 per year and health insurance and retirement savings plans must be provided also. At least 50 per cent of team performance bonuses (money from winning play-offs and other events) will also be paid directly to players. Total available bonuses in the first season will amount to $3.5 million, which means players on a team of six that wins every bonus would make $750,000 each a year. This isn’t yet NBA level money, but even the base $50,000 and benefits ensures player’s needs are met as they devote themselves to professional play, a key point for many in the e-sports community.

However, many in the community have voiced concerns about Blizzard’s approach to the league. Criticism and doubts on the viability of the endeavour boil down to four main points.

Firstly, the logistics of a city based league which spans multiple continents, with teams from Shanghai or Korea, for example, needing to regularly travel to US, Latin American and Europe cities.