In recent Overwatch League news, Blizzard has confirmed that the final two teams have been added to the Overwatch League: Chengdu, and Vancouver. Season 1’s rota of 12 teams has been drastically increased, as this announcement rounds the total of teams that will be competing in Season 2 off at 20. Other teams that have been added include Atlanta, Paris, Washington D.C., Hangzhou, Gyangzhou, and Toronto.
ESPN has reported that these are indeed the last teams that will be added ahead of Season 2. Although Season 1 saw no Canadian teams competing in the Overwatch League, there will be two teams in Season 2. Also, China now has a total of four teams in the League, as the Shanghai Dragons will be joined by Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Gyangzhou. Paris will be the first team to represent France, and players such as Terence ‘SoOn‘ Tarlier, and Benjamin ‘uNKOE‘ Chevasson may be tempted to represent their country in the Overwatch League as well as the Overwatch World Cup.
The signing window for new teams is set to open on September 9, so there will be information as to where these teams plan to source their talent from very soon. A lot of players are currently without a team, as Shanghai Dragons has released eight players, and Florida Mayhem has released six. Philadelphia Fusion released three players, including Georgii ‘ShaDowBurn‘ Gushcha, who will likely be snapped up almost immediately.
The LA Gladiators has released top players Luis ‘iRemiix‘ Galarza Figueroa, and Joon-seong ‘Asher‘ Choi, as well as two other players, whereas Boston Uprising has waved goodbye to Stanislav ‘Mistakes‘ Danilov. Perhaps the biggest release to date has been Seoul Dynasty’ decision to release two-time Overwatch World Cup winner Jin-hyuk ‘Miro‘ Gong, who will be actively searching a new team ahead of Season 2. However, it is likely that Miro will hold out for October 1, which is when the window will open for Season 1 teams. A player with his experience could prove invaluable to a new squad, but tempting a top-tier main tank away from a top team won’t be easy.
With the announcement confirming that the Overwatch League is now closed to new teams, Season 2 is only around the corner.
