If the Overwatch League shuts down, Microsoft would have to pay $120 million in the form of compensation!
The Overwatch League shutdown, according to a report, could result in Microsoft washing its hands off more than $100 million. By launching the Overwatch League, Blizzard managed to offer high-level matches to the fans of Overwatch and Overwatch 2.
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Fans would remember that the Overwatch League kick-started with 12 teams in the year 2017. The next year, the number of teams in the league went up to 20. The regular season, however, was brought down from 48 to 23 games. The Covid-19 situation affected the third season of the Overwatch League adversely and resulted in matches either being canceled or rescheduled.
Because of the pandemic, the league also had to switch to an online format. Despite the challenges thrown up by the pandemic, the Overwatch League has managed to produce three seasons in recent years. While the Overwatch League remains one of the most popular esports leagues globally, it might not last for long. And, if that happens, Microsoft could be in a lot of trouble.
The Overwatch League shutdown, as per the Jacob Wolf Report, would lead to Microsoft losing more than $100m million. As per the article, Activision Blizzard reached out to the 20 teams in the league and shared with them a well-etched out plan for how things should roll out for Overwatch 2 esports. The teams were also asked to vote and decide whether the Overwatch League should be continued in the future or not.
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If the votes tilt in favor of the Overwatch League shutting down, each of the 20 teams would receive an amount of $6 million as compensation. A total of $120 million, therefore, would be spent in compensating the team. While Activision Blizzard is yet to know about the cumulative decision taken by the teams, there is a strong chance of most teams voting in favor of the league being discontinued.
The gaming studio has put together some plans for the future of the Overwatch League. Right now, the staff at Activision Blizzard is putting together a contract with ESL FACEIT Group to have a dedicated management process for the 2024 Overwatch 2 esports season. In 2022, Savvy Gaming Group acquired ESL and FACEIT and created the ESL FACEIT Group.
Over the last few months, Activision Blizzard has consistently worked towards creating proposals that would give direction to the management process of the new system. Right now, there seems to be a good chance of the ESL FACEIT Group succeeding in its objective of shutting down the Overwatch League. If the league indeed gets dissolved, fans would want to know what would happen to the Overwatch League skins.