The Overwatch League Is Officially Dead, Blizz "Evolving Competitive Overwatch In A New Direction"

As the latest Overwatch League champions were crowned, questions started arising as to the future of the OWL. Now it sounds like the competitive Overwatch League is officially dead following a statement issued to GGRecon.

“We are transitioning from the Overwatch League and evolving competitive Overwatch in a new direction. We are grateful to everyone who made OWL possible and remain focused on building our vision of a revitalized esports program. We are excited to share details with you all in the near future,” an OWL spokesperson told the site.

What exactly the future holds for the shooter's competitive reach isn't entirely clear, though the speculation at the moment is that Blizzard will be partnering with third-party tournament organizers ESL FACEIT Group and WDG esports to handle the future of Overwatch esports.

This news comes directly after the Toronto Defiant announced they would be leaving the OWL, which would make them eligible for a $6 million cancellation fee included in the contracts. That's a hefty price if Blizzard ends up having to pay out the fee as expected to every team in the league, likely to the tune of $144 million. For that to be on the table, the OWL had to have been losing money like an open faucet.