The 12 franchises in OWL's inaugural season, which began in January, paid $20M each for their slotsOWL
Activision Blizzard "will price expansion slots" for next season's Overwatch League between $30-60M as the game publisher "continues to negotiate with prospective buyers," according to sources cited by Jacob Wolf of ESPN.com. The exact price "will depend on several factors." Sources said that among the factors are "general population of the area where the team would be based and the number of players who play Overwatch within that region." Additionally, sources said that if a single market has "multiple interested buyers, the price is subject to being raised as those suitors bid against one another." The 12 franchises in OWL's inaugural season, which began in January, paid $20M each. Sources said that last summer, top North American esports organizations, such as Cloud9 and Immortals, were valued between $100-140M, and some organizations are "now valued" at around $160-200M. Activision Blizzard "will hope to sell anywhere from four to six expansion slots in the next season, with targets in North American and international cities." Sources said that several organizations, both endemic and non-endemic to esports, who did not buy in last year "have a fear of missing out on being included in the top franchised esports leagues" (ESPN.com, 5/10).
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