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NEW YORK – The Overwatch League has planted its flag on top of the mountain of esports. But just like his clip-on superstars, the first circuit can not afford to sit still
Not as long as Fortnite commands the rest of the game's universe.
The Fortnite Phenomenon has placed Overwatch in a strange position. The inaugural season of the Overwatch League has been an outstanding success, but the Blizzard Entertainment 6-on-6 first-person shooter is not the most popular video game in the world. It would be Fortnite, a royal battle that transcended the games and broke in the mainstream, unlike any title of years. Overwatch executives claim that they are not nearly panicked because of a big gamble: their deep pockets and their impressive infrastructure can prevent Fortnite from charging a crown to the crown.
THE LEAGUE
to make an elite elite – the latter requires a professional circuit, loyal fans and a product that is just as enjoyable to watch as to play.
The Overwatch League set the standard for esports in its first season. Ten million fans watched his opening weekend, and 100-150 thousand tuned for every second of the regular season. The two-night league championship sold the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and the opening night was broadcast live on ESPN, the first live broadcast of esports in prime time. The league has a fierce and considerable crowd of fans, big names like Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, and the momentum of a monumental first season.
GREAT FORTNITIS
Yet video players are clearly fiercer for Fortnite. The Epic Games attack title has 125 million global players, compared with 40 million for Overwatch. Perhaps more discordant, Google search "Fortnite" surpassed "Overwatch" 14 to 1 in the week before the Big Final of Overwatch League.
Fortnite's unparalleled appeal is unmatched, a fact recently exposed by the Frenchman Antoine Griezmann celebrated a goal in the World Cup final with a dance movement popularized by the game.
How Overwatch could not he be terrified of a competitor with this kind of organic reach?
Simple: he does not see Fortnite as competition "Right now, Fortnite is 99% a game and not an esport," said Ari Segal, president of Immortals Gaming, who heads Los Angeles Valiant's 39; Overwatch. "But I obviously think that there is a way for it to become an esport."
The distinction is the key. Fortnite events, structured and competitive, are still in their infancy, and Epic has a way to go with the professional experience offered to fans of the Overwatch League. Epic began this effort by promising in May to offer $ 100 million in Fortnite prize pools – a huge amount for the industry.
Still, early results were fragile, as when the Fortnite Summer Skirmish series was canceled amidst problems. The tournament was also hampered by a conservative game, players waiting until the last moment to engage. In a statement, Epic said that he "underestimated" in what was supposed to be his first esports event, while developing plans to improve the viewing experience.
Epic did not respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press.
"It takes a lot more than a press release to build an esport," said League Commissioner Overwatch, Nate Nanzer. "I think I can speak as well as most of them that there is a ton of investment, planning and infrastructure to build to make professional esports in a quality bar. "
THE GREAT FINALS
were a showcase for that. Just take a look at the 165-foot-wide, 36-foot LED display behind the Barclays Center scene – players and fans were impressed by the big screen.
But it is more technical than technical. League broadcasts on Twitch have been almost technologically perfect throughout the season. His teams have an impressive support staff, including leaders, physical coaches and public relations managers. Even the entertainment in the event is top notch: DJ Khaled played in the championship final on Saturday.
Which does not mean that Overnight is a finished product. There is work to do to pack his events, especially for casual fans. Blizzard plans to experiment with its diffusion structure to better serve the diehards and beginners. These adjustments began with more explanatory segments on the ESPN show for uninitiated viewers, and the league will use comments from the latter to shape the cover for next season.
"What I saw on Twitter was fun," said Pete Vlastelica. Esports leagues from Activision Blizzard. "I enjoyed seeing the healthy debate between the old-school old-school sports public who wondered what they were watching and then a lot of young sports fans who were very excited about what they were doing. saw it. "
Even though she is experimenting, everything about the league has the appearance of a leading sports organization, and this has been a question of investment and of course. expertise for Blizzard and his team owners – a group that includes Kraft, New York Mets COO Jeff Wilpon and Los Angeles The owner of Rams Stan Kroenke
Esports organizations, like Segal's Immortals, monitor by Fortnite
"Do you have access to capital and human resource capacity and organizational bandwidth to be agile and flexible to evaluate whatever next thing to do? Segal asked, "As far as Fortnite is concerned, it is a continuous assessment."
At one point, it seems likely that Fortnite – or perhaps another royal battle, like PlayerUnknown's Battleground – will get there.When he does, Overwatch thinks he's about to survive.
For Beginners, Overwatch has been designed to last.Blizzard Entertainment specializes in titles with endurance His Warcraft franchise was launched in 1994 and remains a hit, same with series like Diablo (1996) and StarCraft (1998).
That's the key to the continued relevance of Overwatch, According to Jurre Pannekeet, Business Manager at Newzoo, it's a difficult thing to innovate and improve a game perpetually, but Blizzard could do it better than anyone else.
"They have a franchise long time with big fans who have played these games for several years ", has said Pannekeet.It is also possible – some probably think – that the landscape of esports can accommodate more than one superliga.
"Certainly, Fortnite steals everybody's share, to a certain extent," said Segal. "But it 's not just a nil sum .. The pie is growing."
The hope is that gamers hooked to the game by the Fortnite experience could shop for d & # 39; other titles once they are exposed to esports.
"I think we welcome more investment in space" Nanzer said. "And I think that esports as an industry are definitely still in the phase of" rising tides rising from all boats "."
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Follow Jake Seiner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jake_seiner[19659039] Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material can not be published, distributed, rewritten or redistributed.
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