The first official team for the Overwatch League has been announced as the Shanghai Dragons according to a news post from Blizzard Entertainment and a press release from the team.
The Overwatch League is Blizzard's take on e-sports for their popular first-person shooter Overwatch. The league aims to combine the best practices from e-sports leagues along with the format of professional sports leagues into what they hope will ultimately be a better system. The first year will feature 12 teams competing from around the world with the majority of them headquartered in American cities. A video by Blizzard explains how the league was designed and how it will work in the coming years:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=OFHpK627XkI
The logo for the Shanghai Dragons is (unsurprisingly) a stylized dragon coiled in the shape of an S. The dragon was chosen as a symbol that is culturally and historically relevant to Chinese culture. The team will update the world on their progress through their social media accounts on Chinese social media network Weibo, Facebook, and Twitter. The team is owned by Chinese-based Internet technology company NetEase.
"We aim to create more high-quality and innovative products for gamers around the world. The Overwatch League is an opportunity we didn't want to miss because of the opportunity to earn audiences' excitement and loyalty through world-class esports competition." -NetEase CEO William Ding
The Shanghai Dragons are the first (and currently only) team representing China. It is one of three teams located outside of the United States. The other two unnamed teams outside of the US represent London, England, and Seoul, South Korea. The preseason for the inaugural season of the Overwatch League starts on December 6, 2017.
What do you think of the name, logo, and color choices for the Shanghai Dragons? What themes and colors do you think the other eleven teams will settle on? Which team do you think has the best chance of winning in the first year of the league? Let us know in the comments below!
