New franchises include Chengdu, Hangzhou, Paris, Toronto, Vancouver,
and Washington, D.C.
All six teams will join the Overwatch League for the start of the
2019 season
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 7, 2018--
The Overwatch League™ is expanding again. Last month, franchises
representing Atlanta and Guangzhou joined the Overwatch League, and now
six more new teams—Chengdu, Hangzhou, Paris, Toronto, Vancouver, and
Washington, D.C.—will compete for the 2019 Overwatch League
championship. With a roster of 20 total teams—nine of them outside of
the United States—the Overwatch League has further strengthened its
position as the premier global city-based esports league.
The ownership groups for the new franchises are:
- Aquilini Group—A diversified family business that owns the
National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks and Rogers Arena, and
manages a global conglomerate portfolio will operate the team in
Vancouver, Canada
- Bilibili—A leading online entertainment company for young
people in China, covering a wide array of genres and media formats
including: videos, live broadcasting, and mobile games will operate
the team in Hangzhou, China
- DM Esports—A global company focused on esports entertainment
and investments will operate the team in Paris, France
- HUYA Inc.—A leading game livestreaming platform in China will
operate the team in Chengdu, China
- OverActive Media—An integrated company delivering esports and
video game entertainment to the Canadian market will operate the team
in Toronto, Canada
- Washington Esports Ventures—A sports organization founded by
Mark Ein, owner of the Washington Kastles of World Team Tennis, to
build and promote esports enterprises will operate the team in
Washington, D.C.
“The Overwatch League’s inaugural season was a great success,” said
Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “This past season alone, fans
spent 160 million hours watching the leading Overwatch players in the
world compete. We are thrilled to add eight new outstanding team owners
from Europe, China, and North America to our Overwatch League ownership
group. We now have 20 of the very best owners in professional sports.”
“We just capped an amazing inaugural Overwatch League season, crowning
our first-ever Grand Finals champion in front of a sold-out crowd of
dedicated and passionate fans,” said Pete Vlastelica, president and CEO
of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues. “Now, as we look forward to the
2019 season and beyond, we’re adding eight new teams that will help us
grow our league in important regions around the globe. We know that the
difference between a good league and a great league is its owners, and
we set a high bar for our first season with the caliber of ownership
groups. Every one of these expansion franchises cleared that bar and
will make our league even better.”
“Esports has seen extraordinary success and continues to be one of the
fastest growing industries in the world,” said Francesco Aquilini,
managing director of the Aquilini Group. “The Overwatch League has
visionary leadership, strong franchises, and connects with millions of
players globally. We’re pleased to have the opportunity to expand into
esports and we can’t wait to launch the team in Vancouver, which will
also represent fans across the Pacific Northwest, including Seattle and
Portland.”
“We’re very excited to compete in the upcoming season of the Overwatch
League with a team in Hangzhou,” said Mr. Rui Chen, chairman of the
board and CEO of Bilibili. “Esports is one of the most popular
livestreaming content types on Bilibili, attracting and engaging
millions of users on our platforms. We’re excited to combine the great
growth potential of esports with the blockbuster power and quality of
Overwatch. We look forward to delivering highly competitive and
entertaining gameplay to the China Overwatch fan group, CNOW, in the
years to come.”
“I’m thrilled to join the Overwatch League with a franchise in one of
the world’s most iconic cities,” said Drew McCourt, owner and founder of
DM Esports. “As a global investor in traditional sports, watching the
growth of esports and the Overwatch League in particular has been
remarkable. I’m excited to bring a team to Paris and to help grow the
league throughout France.”
“We’re delighted to establish a deep partnership with the Overwatch
League,” said Henry Sha, CFO of HUYA Inc. “We’re excited by the growth
potential of esports, and we’re looking forward to leveraging our gaming
expertise and capabilities. As a leader in China’s game livestreaming
industry, we think we can help grow the popularity of the Overwatch
League by providing unique resources and a large viewer base. We believe
our team in Chengdu will demonstrate HUYA’s focus on the global esports
industry and will further expand esports awareness and participation of
Chinese gaming enthusiasts.”
“We look forward to growing the reach and influence of the Toronto
franchise and the Overwatch League in Canada, and around the world,”
said Chris Overholt, president and CEO of OverActive Media. “We’ll
achieve this with the help and passionate support of our fans, who are
already declaring their allegiance for our team. Our owners are fiercely
committed to building a team of professionals and an organization that
we know will quickly be considered a best-in-class sports and
entertainment company.”
"We’re thrilled to bring an Overwatch League team to the Washington,
D.C. community,” said Mark Ein, owner of Washington Esports Ventures.
“There’s a rich tradition of sports and deep fan engagement in our
region, and I believe in the power of those connections to inspire and
bring communities together, and to serve as an impactful platform to
give back. We think city-based global esports is the perfect model to
grow esports and ideal for engaging new and younger audiences.”
Further details about official team names, marks, and rosters will be
announced soon by each franchise in conjunction with the Overwatch
League. Information about the 2019 season schedule will be released at a
later date.
About the Overwatch League™
The Overwatch League™ is the first major global professional esports
league with city-based teams across Asia, Europe, and North America.
Overwatch® was created by globally acclaimed publisher Blizzard
Entertainment (a division of Activision Blizzard—Nasdaq: ATVI), whose
iconic franchises have helped lay the foundations and push the
boundaries of professional esports over the last 15 years. The latest
addition to Blizzard’s stable of twenty-two #1 games,[1]
Overwatch was built from the ground up for online competition, with
memorable characters and fast-paced action designed for the most
engaging gameplay and spectator experiences. To learn more about the
Overwatch League, visit www.overwatchleague.com.
About Aquilini Group
The Aquilini Group is a diversified family business founded more than 50
years ago by Mr. Luigi Aquilini. The Group is now run by his three sons
Francesco, Roberto, and Paolo Aquilini. The Vancouver-based organization
owns the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, Rogers Arena, and
manages a global conglomerate portfolio that includes commercial,
industrial, and residential construction and developments as well as
properties, food and beverage, hospitality and entertainment
enterprises, diverse agribusiness operations, and sustainable
aquaculture and renewable energy ventures. In the community, the
Aquilini Group launched the Canucks Autism Network and supports the
Canucks for Kids Fund, the Boys Club Network, and the Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation. Since the Aquilini family became owners in 2004,
the Canucks for Kids Fund has raised more than $45 million to provide
vital resources and life-saving care to families across British Columbia.
About Bilibili
Bilibili represents the iconic brand of online entertainment with a
mission to enrich the everyday life of young generations in China.
Bilibili is a full-spectrum online entertainment world covering a wide
array of genres and media formats, including videos, live broadcasting,
and mobile games. Bilibili provides an immersive entertainment
experience and high-quality content that caters to the evolving and
diversified interests of its users and communities, and has built its
platform based on the strong emotional connections of Bilibili’s users
to its content and communities. For more information, please visit: http://ir.bilibili.com.
About DM Esports
DM Esports is a global company focused on esports entertainment and
investments. Drew McCourt, owner and founder of DM Esports, is also the
president of McCourt Global—where he’s responsible for
strategy, investments, and management of the firm’s real estate assets
and venture portfolio.
About HUYA Inc.
HUYA Inc. is a leading game livestreaming platform in China with a large
and active game livestreaming community. The Company cooperates with
esports event organizers, as well as major game developers and
publishers, and has developed esports livestreaming as one of the most
popular content genres on its platform. The Company has created an
engaged, interactive, and immersive community for game enthusiasts of
China’s young generation. Building on its success in game livestreaming,
Huya has also extended its content to other entertainment content
genres. Huya’s open platform also functions as a marketplace for
broadcasters and talent agencies to congregate and closely collaborate
with the Company.
About OverActive Media
OverActive Media began operations in November 2017 with a mandate to
build an integrated company delivering esports and video-game
entertainment to the Canadian market for the first time. The company
combines team ownership with audience engagement to better connect with
current fans and to introduce the exciting world of esports competition
to new fans in Canada and around the world. To learn more about the team
please follow @TorontoOWL
on Twitter.
About Washington Esports Ventures
Washington Esports Ventures was founded to purchase an Overwatch League
franchise and to develop other esports teams that will represent a
thriving region that includes Baltimore, Richmond, Washington, D.C., and
the entirety of Maryland and Virginia. The Company is led by Mark Ein, a
Washington-area businessman, civic leader, philanthropist, sports team
owner, and native Washingtonian. Mark and his ownership group believe in
the power of sports as a platform to inspire people and bring
communities together. The Company's esports assets, including the
Overwatch League franchise, will be part of Mr. Ein’s existing sports
platform that owns the Washington Kastles, one the most successful teams
in the 45-year history of World Team Tennis. Under Mr. Ein’s guidance
the Kastles have been embraced by the capital region since its founding
in 2008. Joining Mr. Ein as investors and board members are lead
financial partner Artist Capital Management, a New York-based growth
equity firm, and Dyson Dryden, Mr. Ein’s business partner and Baltimore
native. Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the
District of Columbia, is an anchor supporter of the franchise. The
Overwatch League team name, additional investors, and corporate sponsors
will be announced soon.
© 2018 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. OVERWATCH, OVERWATCH LEAGUE,
BLIZZARD, and BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT are trademarks of Blizzard
Entertainment, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries.
[1] Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and
reports from key distribution partners.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in
this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations,
plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including
statements about the 2019 Overwatch League season are forward-looking
statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and
uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual
future results to differ materially from those expressed in the
forward-looking statements set forth in this release include
unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk
factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on
Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The
forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information
available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the
date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision
Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may
ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of
the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard
and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which
are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially
from current expectations.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180907005094/en/
Source: Activision Publishing, Inc.
Overwatch League
Mark Van Lommel, 949-955-1380 x61147
MVanLommel@overwatchleague.com