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Geo-Located OWL Teams In '20 Seen As Pivotal Step For League

OWL fans in '20 can watch their teams compete in their home markets or travel to any of the other 19 citiesACTIVISION BLIZZARD

Next year will mark a "pivotal season for the future" of the Overwatch League and also for the "new world of competitive, geo-located gaming on a global scale," according to Tommy Magelssen of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. OWL fans in '20, the league's third season, can "watch their teams compete in their home markets, but they can also travel to 19 cities across the globe for different gameday environments." It is a "key step in driving esports more into the mainstream." Activision Blizzard Senior Dir of Product Strategy & Business Operations Jon Spector said, "We’re going to have a lot of eyes on us next year." The venues "vary in their intended OWL capacity and setup." Envy Gaming President & COO Geoff Moore said that Esports Stadium (Arlington) holds 2,200, while Irving's Toyota Music Factory and the Allen Event Center hold about 4,000 and 4,500, respectively. Between "four and eight teams will be at each homestand weekend, playing in one or two matches apiece." The return of the Envy-owned Dallas Fuel to the Allen Event Center "seems like a no brainer." Moore "declined to discuss the exact cost of putting on the weekend, but ballparked it at a 'couple of hundred thousand' dollars." Asked if the Fuel made money on its lone homestand this season, Moore said, "We did" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/21).

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