Team costs for the most recent round of Overwatch League expansion "have ranged" from $35-60M, according to sources cited by Mike Hume of the WASHINGTON POST. World Team Tennis Washington Kastles Owner Mark Ein is leading the DC-based expansion team, and said that he "began expansion conversation with the OWL in the spring." Ein: "We were immediately attracted to it." Ein said Activision Blizzard Esports CEO Pete Vlastelica "really impressed us, and we believe in what they’re doing." The Entertainment and Sports Arena at St. Elizabeths, a site "constructed in part with esports competition in mind, appears a logical home for the team." The facility is "already set to serve as the home to Wizards District Gaming when it opens." Ein said that there had been "no final agreement for St. Elizabeths to act as the team’s home base and that other sites were under consideration." He added, "The thing I find so compelling about this is the global nature of it. There’s going to be teams in major cities in Asia, major cities in North America" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/8).
WHERE ARE WE GOING? Vlastelica said that Europe will be the "focal point for the next wave" of OWL expansion in '20. Vlastelica: "Europe is a priority for us." He added, "We didn’t expect it to kind of get as much traction as quickly as it has. We’re really starting to see real fan bases pop up, starting to see a partnership ecosystem emerge with sponsors and media rights partners and licensees and great owners. There’s a lot of excitement around the league" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/8). Aquilini Group earned an OWL expansion spot in Vancouver last week, and the CP's Neil Davidson noted the ability of Dota 2's The International event to fill Rogers Arena is "proof of the appeal of esports" in the area. Aquilini Group President of Entertainment Adrian Montgomery said, "It’s hard to pack our building for six straight days and generate the noise and the enthusiasm and passion. ... We saw it firsthand with these folks" (CP, 9/7).
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