Activision Blizzard made its first group of founding teams official, announcing yesterday the sale of the first seven Overwatch League teams with franchises set to be based in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Miami-Orlando, San Francisco, Seoul and Shanghai. New team owners include: Robert Kraft, Chairman and CEO of the Kraft Group and the New England Patriots (Boston); Jeff Wilpon, Co-Founder and Partner of Sterling.VC and COO of the New York Mets (New York); Noah Whinston, CEO of Immortals (Los Angeles); Ben Spoont, CEO and Co-Founder of Misfits Gaming (Miami-Orlando); Andy Miller, Chairman and Founder of NRG Esports (San Francisco); NetEase (Shanghai); and Kevin Chou, Co-founder of Kabam (Seoul).
“Overwatch is a game about a diverse group of international heroes who fight for an optimistic vision of the future, and the Overwatch League is an extension of that spirit,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re building this league for fans – esports fans, traditional sports fans, gaming fans – and we’re thrilled to have individuals and organizations who are as passionate about professional competition as we are, and who have extensive experience in all three fields, representing our first major international cities in the league.”
“We have been exploring the esports market for a number of years and have been waiting for the right opportunity to enter,” said Robert Kraft, Chairman and CEO of the Kraft Group. “The incredible global success of Overwatch since its launch, coupled with the League’s meticulous focus on a structure and strategy that clearly represents the future of esports made this the obvious entry point for the Kraft Group.”
The Overwatch League is set to launch later this year, and detailed plans to “create value for team owners through advertising, ticketing and broadcast rights revenues, with teams receiving an equal share of all league-wide net revenues” while franchises also all local revenues generated through their home territory and venue up to a set amount each year.