The inaugural season of the Overwatch League has just ended, but it is already looking forward to season two with the announcement of two new teams.
Teams from Atlanta, Georgia, and Guangzhou, China will join the roster next year, bringing the total number of teams in the ambitious eSports league based on hero shooter Overwatch to 14 and counting.
Overwatch League Teams Season 2 Up To 14
Blizzard said that two new teams will join the Overwatch League, with more expected to be announced before the season two start date next year.
The new team in Atlanta will be owned by Atlanta Esports Ventures, formed by Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises and Las Vegas-based Province Inc. The Atlanta team will be the second one owned by a U.S. communications conglomerate after Comcast's Philadelphia Fusion.
The new team in Guangzhou, meanwhile, will be owned by the Nenking Group, a financial and entertainment company based in China. The group also operates the Guangzhou Long Lion, a professional basketball team.
The names, colors, and other brandings for the Atlanta and Guangzhou teams will be revealed at a later date.
Atlanta and Guangzhou will likely not be the only additions to the Overwatch League in the offseason, though. Also, rumors suggest that a Paris team is in the works and that up to six more teams will join the second season.
Nate Nanzer, Overwatch League commissioner, previously said that the focus for expansion during seasons two and three will be to add more teams from Europe, Latin America, and Asia. This will make it a more global eSports league.
London Spitfire Take Home Season 1 Championship
The news on more Overwatch League teams comes just days after the London Spitfire claimed the first Overwatch League championship in front of a sold-out Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The London Spitfire had an up-and-down year, finishing the regular season in fifth place. However, the team got it all together en route to the finals, where it dominated the sixth-seeded Philadelphia Fusion.
The New York Excelsior, the team that looked nearly unbeatable in the regular season, sputtered in the playoffs due to the release of Brigitte. The 27th Overwatch hero served as the perfect answer to the "dive-tank" strategy of the New York Excelsior.
All of the storylines and drama during the playoffs and grand finals were broadcast on ESPN and Disney XD, bringing the Overwatch League to the mainstream. With the suddenly wider exposure, more teams beyond Atlanta and Guangzhou will likely join the Overwatch League.
