Blizzard Entertainment last week opened its "biggest investment in esports yet" with the brand-new Blizzard Arena in Burbank, Calif., according to Tyler Erzberger of ESPN.com. The arena is in the "same studio where Johnny Carson once hosted 'The Tonight Show.'" A four-story complex "situated at the entrance of the Burbank Studios, the venue will be home to all of Blizzard's competitive titles over the coming years, most notably the first season of the Overwatch League, which will begin its preseason play in December before moving into the regular season" at the start of '18. A merchandise area is the "first thing that greets you." The "main attraction of the studio, the playing area, is a 450-seat setting with three large screens positioned over the audience to make sure, regardless of your seat in the house, that you'll be able to catch all the action without needing to crane your neck." For the time being, seating arrangements "will be on a first-come, first-served basis, with floor seating in front of the stage and the theater seats holding the rest of the crowd." From top to bottom, the new Blizzard Arena is "polished and ready for the upcoming Overwatch League season, including player rooms for teams to practice before matches, multiple press rooms and even a luxury box for VIP guests to come and watch the games" (ESPN.com, 10/7).
THE NAME GAME: ESPN.com's Jacob Wolf cited sources as saying that esports franchise Phoenix1 has "filed for a trademark" for the name "Los Angeles Gladiators" and will operate one of the L.A. Overwatch League teams on behalf of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (ESPN.com, 10/6). The ESPORTS OBSERVER's Ferguson Mitchell noted two more trademark filings came to light on Friday that "could end up being OWL franchise brands." Those trademarks suggest NRG Esports' overwatch team would be the "San Francisco Shock" and Mets COO Jeff Wilpon's team would be the "New York Excelsior." The Excelsior filing "outright states that the trademark owner is the 'OWL NYC LLC,' and is related to entertainment shows and competitions in the field of video and computer games." As the only N.Y. OWL franchise, Wilpon’s esports organization "may be the only one that fits into that narrow of a category." The Shock filing, however, "is less obvious." The filed owner is a "mysterious 'Three Kings Enterprises LLC,' and the trademark’s listed goods and services include a lot more than Excelsior’s filing" (ESPORTSOBSERVER.com, 10/7).
