Overwatch League - The Next Big Thing?

If you were to ask anyone following the eSports realm what the hottest piece of news was in the last couple of months, their answer would surely highlight Overwatch and it's competitive development. While a lot of people are doubting it's overall integrity, Overwatch's meteoric rise cannot be understated. 

There are still question in the air however, and with good reason. Will it live up to the hype? Will we finally see the next big thing?

Blizzard has a very strong marketing push and they’re giving it their all. Big organizations came in and invested incredible amounts of money in the scene and many eyes are set to see if it pays off or crumbles under the pressure. 

Prior to the Overwatch League, you could watch competitive Overwatch on a lot of different tournaments that were played around the world. APAC Premier, APEX and Overwatch Contenders showcased the best Overwatch teams had to offer around the world.

This is the first time you will be able to see the absolute best Overwatch players duke it out on a weekly basis. 

Betting on the Overwatch League

There are still a lot of question regarding the Overwatch League due to it’s infancy. However from a betting standpoint, things cannot get any clearer.

Let’s focus on the main benefits of betting on Overwatch.

1. There will be a lot of games played - A lot. Games will be played every week, Wednesday to Saturday. In other words, you can expect around six hours of Overwatch League four days a week. That’s quite a lot of games to swallow and watch but other than that, you will get the chance to bet on a lot of games and consequently earn more money.
2. Teams are well known - Almost every Overwatch League team consists of well-known players. In fact, the majority of teams simply bought out whole rosters from existing Korean/NA/European teams. Dallas Fuel is simply a rebranding for Team EnVyUs, Florida Mayhem are Misfits, London Spitfire are essentially a combination of GC Busan and Cloud9 KongDoo, Seoul Dynasty are Lunatic-Hai, etc. Why is this crucialy important? Fans are already familiar with these rosters and their skill level. If you followed tournaments like APEX, APAC and the Overwatch Contenders you already know these players and how well they play. You know that GC Busan are on fire right now after winning APEX Season 4 and that they’re in the running for Top 3 in the OWL alongside with Seoul Dynasty and New York Excelsior/Dallas Fuel. This leads us to the third and perhaps most important point for a bettor.
3. Consistency and expectations - One of the key factors in betting and winning is consistency and how they align with expectations. If you expect a team to win and they go through then you build up consistency. Overwatch, much like every other eSport right now is dominated by Korean teams. Other teams try their hardest but are never up to snuff when compared to their Korean colleagues. The Overwatch League is a unique example for eSports (especially compared to League of Legends where you have individual leagues for every region) since you have all of the best teams “under one roof”. While in other games you have to wait for international tournaments to watch the best teams in the world clash, here you can watch them every single week. That means there will almost always be clear favorites for almost every game. While upsets are possible, the gap between Western and Korean teams is incredible regardless. You can also expect one-sided matches on a regular basis. 
4. Betting infancy - Competitive Overwatch is a relatively new thing, meaning you will see wild and unrealistic odds fairly often. When the Overwatch League begins you should be able to come up with a pretty hefty profit if things pan out the way they should. Keep a close eye to the way each game and week develops!

All signs are pointing towards a very bright future regarding Overwatch betting.

If you’ve never watched competitive Overwatch, you might ask - is this just a “spur of the moment” kind of thing? Will this last? Is it worth getting to know these teams, players and the game inside and out in order to maximize earnings?

Long-term longevity of Overwatch

Overwatch’s longevity is often thought as a big question mark. The game itself is not free-to-play and that could have a big impact on it’s long term viability. That said, the existing userbase is not one to scoff at. With over 35 milion paying players, the game is in a very healthy state. The Overwatch team is very proactive and they take community feedback very seriously. We’ve seen the positive long-term effect that frequent updates and patches have on the game (League of Legends in particular), and Overwatch seems to be no different. Existing hero changes, new maps and heroes, strategies and the ever-evolving meta keep the game healthy and fresh to old and new viewers alike.

The Overwatch team isn’t stopping there either. They’re working constantly on improving the game, the client as well as the complete viewing package. They’re updating the spectating mode while also differentiating teams and heroes visually. Overwatch isn’t an easy game to follow when you’re playing it, let alone watching from multiple points-of-view but through these changes things get a lot easier on the eye.

With such a proactive approach to the game from it’s developer, you can expect Overwatch to be present on the scene for quite some time. Blizzard knows that this has a ton of potential, and if they play their cards right - and there is no reason that they shouldn’t, Overwatch will slowly develop into a household name much like League of Legends, DOTA and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

You can expect a lot more information regarding the teams competing and odds for every match  when we get closer to the start date - January 10th! However if you cannot wait for some high-quality Overwatch action, you will get the chance to watch all 12 teams clash in exhibition matches starting December 6th!