NRG Esports recently partnered with EventsDC to bring its developmental OWL team to DC, and with NBA 2K League team Wizards District Gaming already there, the district has become an "attractive home base for esports teams," according to Tyler Blint-Welsh of the WASHINGTON POST. Capitol Investment Corp. Chair & CEO Mark Ein, who is leading the DC-based OWL expansion team, hopes to capitalize on the city's "budding identity as a nationally recognized esports hub." Landing OWL's DC squad is the "biggest success yet for EventsDC’s industry attracting initiative." The esports market is "projected to see exponential growth over the next few years." EventsDC CEO Greg O’Dell said that he expects DC's interest in OWL, and esports more broadly, to "continue to increase." Blint-Welsh notes EventsDC has already "sponsored one esports tournament that drew 2,000 people in January, and in a nod to the region’s grass roots fighting game community, will be partnering with Red Bull in November to host the national finals for a fighting game circuit known as Red Bull Conquest." DC seems to be an "ideal market" for the OWL to "measure the potential of their vision." Overwatch DC GM Kate Mitchell has been "tasked with building a team that’s both competitive and likable from scratch ahead of their season opener in January." She said that she is "trying to build a diverse team with compelling backgrounds that potential DC fans feel they can support" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 10/25).
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