Overwatch League adds six more teams
Activision Blizzard raises team roster to 20, with new teams in China, Canada, France and the US
The Overwatch League has added six new teams ahead of its 2019 championship, taking the total roster to 20 teams.
Two of the new teams will be in China, one based in Chengdu and owned by the livestreaming company Huya Inc, and another in Hangzhou owned by the online entertainment company Bilibili.
Canada will also have two more teams; a Toronto team owned by owned by the esports firm OverActive Media, and a Vancouver team owned by Aquilini Group, which runs the NHL's Vancouver Canucks and their home stadium, Rogers Arena.
Europe and the US will get one more new team each; a Paris-based outfit run by the esports and entertainment investor DM Esports, and Washington DC team owned by Washington Esports Ventures.
"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," said Pete Vlastelica, CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues, in a statement. "Every one of these expansion franchises cleared that bar and will make our league even better."
Overwatch League added teams in Guangzhou and Atlanta at the start of August, so the next season of OWL will have 20 teams, nine of which are outside the US.
A variety of figures have been reported for the buy-in cost of an OWL place, most of them between $30 million and $60 million - significantly more than the $20 million cost for the league's first season.