Right off the bat, I would like to thank all the people who read and discussed part one of this series. The feedback was outstanding and I’d especially like to thank the Competitive Overwatch subreddit for their support and input.
With the pleasantries aside, it is time to start talking about candidates for cities not inside the borders of the North American continent. The metrics for this article will change slightly as we are talking about completely different cultures and standards. Asia, for instance, tends to partner with major corporations rather than sports clubs. As such, instead of listing possible partnerships, we will fill that void with other viable cities in the region aside from the primary locale of discussion. An important point to make as it is quite likely that any country included outside of North America will, most likely, be getting only one slot in the initial launch of OWL (with one possible exception that we will talk about shortly.)
So, let’s get ourselves in gear and get started. As we began with the self-proclaimed center of the universe, New York, in part one, it seems only appropriate that we start with the true center of the esports universe in part two…
Seoul, South Korea
- Population: 9.9 million
- Possible Major OWL Venues: Jamsil Arena, Seoul Olympic Stadium, Seoul World Cup Stadium, Sangam Stadium
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Busan, Incheon, Daegu
I am going to put forward a very strong opinion here at the onset: The OWL should not, in any way, shape or form, launch without the inclusion of Korea from day one. Anyone with any knowledge of esports in general knows that you cannot make a valid claim to being the top competitive league in the world (and this goes for most titles) without their presence. They are the heart of the esports world. You and I would not be here right now without their work and dedication to the craft. Blizzard knows this and has been there, right alongside them, from the very beginning. It would floor me if they are left out in year one. No excuse, no reason, and no logistical complication can validate their absence.
Yet the complications are many. Seoul is over three times as large as the next largest city (Busan) yet the number of players and teams that Korea can put forward could fill the entire OWL in and of itself. Do we justify multiple slots for one city in year one? I think if any city deserves it, Seoul indeed does. Traditional sports have had multiple teams in one city in the past and present (Los Angeles, New York etc.) and it made for heated, nasty, absolutely thrilling rivalries. I think it would do the same for Seoul and for the OWL.
Shanghai, China
- Population: 22 million
- Possible OWL Major Venues: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Shanghai Oriental Sports Arena, Hongkou Football Stadium, Shanghai Gymnasium
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzen, Guangzhou
This one was not easy. Shanghai or Beijing? Beijing or Shanghai? I wrestled with this one for hours. In the end, you cannot go wrong with either city. Both have a fantastic esports history. Both are massive population centers. Both have phenomenal venues. In the end, I went with the city that seemed to have the closest direct relationship with Overwatch from the onset. With the massive $600,000 Overwatch Premier Series being based out of Shanghai, it was the slim, deciding factor.
I rank China only slightly behind Korea in terms of the “Must be included from the get-go” factor. They are currently number one in the world in Overwatch prize money awarded. They have the aforementioned Premier series ongoing, and they bring a massive talent pool to the scene. Much like Korea, several complications arise with the city based model, but they need to be overcome so that China has its hand in the OWL pot.
London, England, United Kingdom
- Population: 8.7 million
- Possible OWL Major Venues: London Stadium, Wembley Stadium, Stamford Bridge, The Den, Royal Albert Hall
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Birmingham, Manchester
I walk on thin ice here my friends. My Editor in Chief is a true son of England and he will, as Englishmen love to do, look for any excuse to rip into a dirty yank for his transgressions. In fact, I’m probably already fired. Regardless, lets tackle the topic of “The Big Smoke” before the pink slip arrives, shall we?
While we have listed other cities for England as possibilities, I think there is absolutely zero doubt that London is the first and only choice for the initial entry of England into the OWL. The venues alone, dripping with history and atmosphere, are world renowned and without peer. The city has a rabid esports community (shout out to the Meltdown Bar) and has an international 24-hour esports channel headquartered out of the city. There is no doubt that London will present well in the OWL in the near future.
Cologne, Germany
- Population: 963,395
- Possible OWL Major Venues: Lanxess Arena, RheinEnergieStadion
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Hamburg
This city choice was, without question, the most agonizing of all the countries in this writing. Germany has a plethora of excellent candidates that makes the choice extremely difficult. Berlin is the population center by a significant margin. Munich is a cultural center of the country. Frankfurt is the example listed in the slide shown by Nate Nanzer, Director of global esports for Overwatch. So why Cologne? Numerous reasons: Germany being a relatively smaller country means that distance for local travel is mitigated, along with a world class mass transit system. Also, Cologne has a long standing relationship with esports, being the home of ESL (who themselves have been with Overwatch since the beginning) and of CS:GO and LoL major events at Lanxess Arena for many years running. Esports have already made a fine home in Cologne, why not benefit from the years of hard work already put forward?
Tokyo, Japan
- Population: 13.6 million
- Possible OWL Major Venues: Tokyo Dome, National Stadium, Hibiya Park
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Kyoto
Ahh, Japan. The country has been a nexus of gaming for decades. No one can argue the impact this country has had on the games, and the associated culture, that we are a part of today. Which is what makes their weird, almost disassociation with esports in many areas so perplexing. Now, granted, the country, and the city, have been juggernauts in the fighting game scene since forever. But they have never grasped onto some of the larger titles like you would think such a gaming centric culture should. Regardless, there is most definitely a home for Overwatch in Tokyo and Japan is already the home of several Overwatch organizations as we speak. There is a long way to go before Overwatch really cements itself into the scene here, but an OWL team would go a long way to solidifying that future.
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Population: 4.6 million
- Possible OWL Major Venues: Docklands Stadium, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Festival Hall
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Sydney, Brisbane, Perth
Sydney and Melbourne, Melbourne and Sydney, Finkle and Einhorn. A tough one here, either city would be a glorious home but what nailed it down to Melbourne, for me, was the extremely high quality of life of the city. It has been rated the world’s most livable city for several years in a row and it has hosted esports events at all different levels for many years now. Let’s face it people, our brothers and sisters from down under have been abused by the gaming scene for far too long. Not enough recognition, not enough support, not enough opportunity and the internet there? Yikes. It would not be easy, logistically, working in an Australian OWL team, but damn it, it needs to happen and we need to break down these barriers that have held back the people from the lucky country for far too long. Few esports or gaming companies are capable of doing that, but Blizzard is one of them.
Plus, who wouldn’t want to see a few thousand rowdy, revved up Australians in full glory at an OWL event at the Sid-Myer? People who hate fun, that’s who.
Paris, France
- Population: 2.2 million
- Potential OWL Major Venues: Stade de France, AccorHotels Arena, Parc de Princes
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice
France, the birthplace of the members of one of the best teams in the Overwatch scene, Rogue, would be a fantastic country to host an OWL team. I think it is safe to say that Paris, far and away, would be the most likely candidate for the host city. An iconic city, flooded with tourism and youth, could help fuel an OWL team to great heights on the world’s stage as we already know they can produce the players for it. The French esports scene has always been quietly strong and I think that a league team could help to bring them out to the forefront of Overwatch stardom, even more so than the young men from Rogue already have.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Population: 6.4 million
- Potential OWL Major Venues: Maracana Stadium, Rio Olympic Arena, Ginasio Gilberto Cardoso
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Sao Paulo, Salvador
Home of the recent 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Yes, yes, we all heard about some of the problems of the event, but one thing that Brazil does not have a problem with is the popularity of esports and Overwatch in particular. Most of us in esports are familiar with SK Gaming, an elite level Brazilian CS:GO team, and with SK comes an army of loyal, patriotic, frenzied fans who would go to the ends of the earth for their people. I believe that exact same enthusiasm could be seen for their home OWL team. Those of us who watched the recent Overwatch Alienware Monthly Melee that had The Brazil Gaming House as part of the lineup saw an enormous showing from their fans, taking over Twitch chat like a tsunami. These people deserve an OWL team.
New Delhi, India
- Population: 16.3 million
- Potential OWL Major Venues: Indira Gandhi Arena, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Dhyan Chand National Stadium
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad
Somebody, sometime soon, is going to break into the large-scale esports market in India, and it may as well be Blizzard. Considering it is a country consisting of 1.2 billion people, it is a market that will not remain untapped for long. Few companies, and even fewer games, have the potential to do this but Blizzard and Overwatch are just the ones to do it in my opinion. Ironically, there have been many articles published recently talking about this very thing, an esports boom in India. While it would be quite a shock to see them included in year one, I would not be surprised in the least to see them included at some point in the near future.
Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Population: 5.0 million
- Potential OWL Major Venues: Yubileyny Sports Palace, The Ice Palace, Sibur Arena
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Moscow
When you leave politics out of the equation, Saint Petersburg, in my opinion, would be an exciting site for inclusion into the OWL. The esports scene in Russia is quite robust, and their ministry has officially recognized esports as a sport discipline as of last year. We have had top tier Russian talent across many titles for years, including the likes of Shadowburn, uNFixed, Cooller and Rubikon right here in Overwatch.
Will we see a Russian OWL team in year one? No, we won’t unfortunately due in part to the current political climate. However, I firmly believe that Saint Petersburg would be a phenomenal host for an OWL team in the future and I think that the country, and its people and players, deserve representation in the OWL at some point in time.
Barcelona, Spain
- Population: 1.6 million
- Potential OWL Major Venues: Palau Blaugrana, Cornella-El Prata Stadium, Camp Nou
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Madrid, Valencia, Malaga
Like Rio, a former Olympic Host city. Considering the country of Spain has taken steps to form a federation of games and esports, I think it is safe to say that Spain is not only aware of the booming esports market, but are more than willing to welcome it into their borders. A country that has brought us such pros as HarryHook, Winghaven and BromaS, this country and this city would be a phenomenal site for an OWL team. Tourist friendly, excellent economy, proper venues and a large fan base make Barcelona an ideal, if under the radar, candidate for the OWL. I have a feeling the Spaniards would take to their team with a fierceness rarely rivaled by any other country.
Stockholm, Sweden
- Population: 790,000
- Potential OWL Major Venues: Ericsson Globe, Hovet, Stockholm Olympic Stadium, Friends Stadium
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Malmo, Gothenberg
If you want to talk about a county that has embraced esports with all its heart, Sweden is your jam. For instance, they are now letting high school students major in esports. Man, was I born in the wrong decade. Back on topic, this country has produced an inordinate number of esports pros compared to its population and has produced some of the finest Overwatch players to date in the form of Cocco, Chipshajen, IDDQD, Vonethil, Reinforce and TViQ just to name a few. While Malmo has been the home of Dreamhack for years now, The Ericsson Globe is a gorgeous venue and the city has been a center of some of the finest universities in the EU for ages.
I fully believe this country, and its people, would go absolutely berserk if given an OWL bid and, quite frankly, they deserve it. Sweden's contributions to pro Overwatch and esports in general have been significant and consistent year after year. Time to let them strut their stuff on a global scale in the form of the OWL.
Helsinki, Finland
- Population: 630,000
- Potential OWL Major Venues: Sonera Stadium, Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Hartwall Arena, Helsinki Ice Hall
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Espoo, Tampere
Finland, like Russia, has also recognized esports as a sport recently by their countries National Olympic Committee. The pedigree of players from the country are impeccable with names like Taimou, hymzi, mafu and zappis. Their players also represented their country with pride, and results, by finishing fourth overall in The Overwatch World Cup last year. While Finnish players are generally recognized as excellent across the esports world the country, as a whole, has never really had the opportunity to host major global events. Time to end that streak and give these folks an OWL team they can be proud of.
Krakow, Poland
- Population: 762,000
- Potential OWL Major Venues: Tauron Arena Krakow, Stadium Wisla Krakow, The Stadium Club Cracovia
- Alternate Candidate Cities: Warsaw, Katowice, Wroclaw, Lodz
Poland has not made a huge splash in the Overwatch scene up to this point, but I think it is only a matter of time until they do so. All of us in the esports scene know of the legendary Sons of Poland in the form of Team Virtus Pro. They have a following like few others and that is due in large part to the patriotic nature of their fan base. They will, undoubtedly, do the same for an Overwatch squad that is given the opportunity to play on the world’s stage.
Granted, Katowice has hosted IEM Majors for years now in CS:GO and Spodek is a phenomenal arena. However, when thinking of OWL you have to think longer term rather than single, annual events. This, to me, makes Krakow the more attractive choice for an OWL squad. Krakow has more than double the population, has a larger variety of venues, and the history and culture of Krakow is fascinating. Could we see another Virtus Pro in OWL? I whole-heartedly hope for just that, but those are large shoes to fill indeed.
Well, there you have it kids. A lengthy, yet far from exhaustive, list of candidates from across the world. Up next, in part three, we will cover the cities that have already made at least loose affiliations with Overwatch clubs and whom we expect are making plans to pursue a spot in the inaugural year of OWL. Until then, stop insta-locking Hanzo and play support for a change.
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