With 2022 coming to a close and 2023 fast approaching, the gaming year goes into transition as well. Valorant esports is on the rise with the expected onset of new fans to the debut of the franchise leagues, as well as the continued support of fans of League of Legends esports. With both games sharing fans and communities, the overlap between both esports titles has only grown larger. Thus, a revamp to the broadcasting schedule was eventually needed to relieve<span class="read-more">more</span>

Time for a Change Overwatch League (OWL) North American staple Philadelphia Fusion has rebranded as Seoul Infernal for the 2023 OWL season. Historically based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the organization has now packed up and relocated operations to Seoul, South Korea. Whilst the roster has already been competing in the Eastern division for some years, the owner, Comcast Spectator, owns Philadelphia-based sports teams and thus based their operations in America. The transfer to Korea brings the franchise closer to ‘sister organization’<span class="read-more">more</span>

Familiar Faces The reigning Overwatch League (OWL) Play-Off Champion Dallas Fuel has begun their march to defend their crown. They began with the retention of some familiar faces, namely the Damage Duo, Kim “SP9RK1E” Yeong-han and Kim “Edison” Tae-hoon. Both players impressed the league with their performances in Play-Offs, with “Edison” especially coming out ahead against Kim “Proper” Dong-hyun in the finals matchup. Furthermore, tank Choi “Hanbin” Han-been returns as well, having wowed critics and fans alike with his stalwart<span class="read-more">more</span>

It’s Back Blizzard has announced the return of the Overwatch World Cup, including 36 teams to crown the World Cup champion. The countries are said to be announced in January of next year. In the trailer announcement, the tagline read: ‘become the first World Cup champions of Overwatch 2.’ For three years, since it’s last showing in 2019, the Overwatch World Cup has been on hiatus. A beloved tradition for fans of the esports title, the annual international Overwatch tournament<span class="read-more">more</span>

Rollback for Blizzard Just two weeks into Overwatch 2’s Season 2 patch, and already targeted nerfs are heading Doomfist’s way. Entering into Season 2, Blizzard sought to buff Doomfist into a viable, force-driven tank that would be capable of disruption through his hard Crowd-Control engage of Rocket Punch. However, the buff has already seen high levels of oppression from Doomfist across all levels of play. In a classic case of overtuning, Blizzard has once more created a monstrosity on the<span class="read-more">more</span>

New Additions to Overwatch 2 The much anticipated advent of Overwatch 2’s Season 2 is now finally here. New morphing tank hero Ramattra bursts onto the scene (read here for early coverage of the new hero). New escort map Shambali Monastery also enters the map pool. Three new events will make their way into the game as well: Winter Wonderland, Battle for Olympus, and Lunar New Year. Each event includes its own features, seasonal skins, and souvenirs. Blizzard has released<span class="read-more">more</span>

Junyoung “Profit” Park, legendary DPS player for the Overwatch League (OWL) and Seoul Dynasty, has left the organization after three years. “Profit” now enters the realm of unrestricted FA (free agency), meaning other organizations are free to contact him, and he is free to explore his options as well. The official announcement from Seoul Dynasty came early this morning, on the 30th of Nov. In the announcement, the South Korea based organization expressed their ‘deepest gratitude’ to “Profit” and wished<span class="read-more">more</span>

The New York Excelsior (NYXL) has revealed through multiple sources, their intentions for 2023 is to create an Overwatch League (OWL) team comprised of marginalized genders. While on the surface, it appears well-intentioned, sources familiar and closer to the scene have come out calling it little more than a PR stunt. Criticisms have flooded in against NYXL, stating that the creation of such a team, performs nothing but a disservice to the very people they are trying to uplift. NYXL<span class="read-more">more</span>

According to reports by independent reporter Bo_Hoogland, Jung “Xzi” Ki-hyo is retiring from competitive Overwatch 2 to pursue a career in Valorant. He previously played on Dallas Fuel and Florida Mayhem. During his Overwatch career, he primarily played as a DPS player, focusing on hitscan characters (Sojourn and Widowmaker primarily) according to the Overwatch League website.   Early Retirement Like fellow former competitor Patiphan “Patiphan” Chaiwong, “Xzi” joins a growing list of Overwatch pros retiring early. A large number of<span class="read-more">more</span>

New Season, New Hero In a South Korea PR event, Blizzard has revealed some details of Overwatch 2’s newest hero, Omnic tank Ramattra. The ability list for the newest addition to the roster of heroes has since appeared online and translated from Korean. The report is reportedly based on information shared at the event held in Korea on Nov 13th. According to OW2 insider Naeri, the newest tank hero will make use of projectiles and a changing form to frontline.<span class="read-more">more</span>

New World Order A new dynasty has formed since last Friday, with Dallas Fuel taking home their first Overwatch League (OWL) Play-Offs title to cap off their dominating year. This also marks the first win for all players on the 8-man roster. The team has remained together since late 2021 and accomplished a first placing in the regular season in 2022. In poetic fashion, Dallas Fuel’s victory in the OWL finals, was over the San Francisco Shock, an echo of<span class="read-more">more</span>

Tournament of Upsets The Overwatch League (OWL) Play-Offs in 2022 has seen some of the most exciting games of the year. Check here and here for recaps of the previous days’ matches. One tournament favorite, Los Angeles Gladiators, has already been eliminated. Two of them, San Francisco Shock and Seoul Dynasty face off against one another now in the lower brackets in a bid for survival.   Eyes on the Prize For the first time in 3 years, the seasonal<span class="read-more">more</span>

The Overwatch League (OWL) Play-Offs are still ongoing, and the competition is fiercer than ever. Winners Round 3 and Losers Round 2 have concluded, along with Losers Round 3. Check here for a recap of the previous rounds’ matches.   Here are the current teams still in contention in Play-Offs: Houston Outlaws Dallas Fuel San Francisco Shock Seoul Dynasty Hangzhou Spark London Spitfire   Here are the teams already eliminated from Play-Offs LA Gladiators Florida Mayhem Philadelphia Fusion Shanghai Dragons<span class="read-more">more</span>

Suprising Frontrunners Overwatch League (OWL) Play-Offs has commenced. Now entering Day 3 of the tournament, the early frontrunners have emerged in the form of Seoul Dynasty, Dallas Fuel, London Spitfire, and Houston Outlaws. Whilst the former two are to no one’s surprise, the latter two, especially the Houston Outlaws, given their victory over tournament favorites San Francisco Shock to make it here. As we head into a new day of competition, here is a preview of the matches to come,<span class="read-more">more</span>

Overwatch League (OWL) Play-Offs is in full swing now for 2022. Rounds 1 and 2 have concluded with all teams having played one series apiece. The early frontrunners for the tournament are current favorites Seoul Dynasty and Dallas Fuel, alongside London Spitfire and Houston Outlaws. The four have advanced to the Winners Round 3 for an Upper Bracket Semifinals. The seedings for Play-Offs is as such: Dallas Fuel San Francisco Shock Los Angeles Gladiators Seoul Dynasty Shanghai Dragons Houston Outlaws<span class="read-more">more</span>

Play-Offs Are Here! The conclusion of the Countdown Cup Play-Ins has brought good tidings in the form of two final competitors to the global stage of the Overwatch League (OWL) Play-Offs. Toronto Defiant, Florida Mayhem and Hangzhou Spark now join the other nine teams for Play-Offs, the culmination of the year-long season to crown a World Champion. The teams to compete in Play-Offs will be: Dallas Fuel London Spitfire San Francisco Shock Atlanta Reign Florida Mayhem Los Angeles Gladiators Houston<span class="read-more">more</span>