At the beginning of May, the FPS Blizzard's hit multiplayer will celebrate the launch of the Overwatch League's fifth season...but one slight problem remains.
Last August, many sponsors withdrew their support for the e-sports leagues of Activision Blizzard games, in light of allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination tainting the American giant. And just two months away from the new Overwatch League season… no major sponsors in sight.
A season launch that promises to be complicated
For both Activision Blizzard and Overwatch, the upcoming fifth season of the Overwatch League is crucial. The game has been pretty much moribund for over a year, and communication around Overwatch 2 is finally picking up speed. This long-awaited sequel will indeed be entitled to an exclusively multiplayer closed beta on April 26, and will inaugurate the new season of the Overwatch League in the wake of early May.
But if fans of Blizzard's hit title will most likely be there, this is not the case for the financial engine of the competition: its sponsors. Since the investigations launched this summer against the American giant, no major sponsor wishes to open its doors to it. T-Mobile, Coca-Cola, Kellogg's or State Farm have long cut ties with Activision Blizzard, and no major sponsor has since wished to associate its name with the company's esports leagues.
Sean Miller, boss of the Overwatch League, wanted to be reassuring (without much conviction) by indicating: “Our plans for the season have been in the works for some time, and we are looking to develop them further with, obviously, n 'any past or present partner'.
E-sports affair to follow, therefore.
On the same subject :Overwatch 2: an early version of the game will be used for the 2022 season of the Overwatch League
