Tag: overwatch league

The esports world mourns the tragic loss of Kim ‘Alarm’ Kyeong-Bo

The Philadelphia Fusion’s flex support tragically passed away at 20 years old.

Kim “Alarm” Kyeong-Bo of the Philadelphia Fusion has passed away at only 20 years old. 

The well-known flex support for Philadelphia Fusion was one of Overwatch’s biggest stars in the competitive scene — Taking home the Overwatch League’s Rookie of the Year award in 2020. 

“We are devastated and heartbroken to hear about Kim “Alarm” Kyeong-Bo’s passing,” the Philadelphia Fusion said on Twitter. “Alarm was the heart and soul of our organization, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends as we mourn this tragic loss.”

There are no additional details yet and Philadelphia Fusion and Alarm’s family are asking for privacy on the matter.

Alarm made quite an impression on Overwatch  esports, as everyone tangentially related to the scene is in shock, dismay, and mourning. Many are taking to social media to share their stories or interactions with Alarm, including his teammates. Take a look at what everyone is saying for yourself below.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

Not all ‘Overwatch’ fans are happy about the Cole Cassidy name change

Overwatch fans are all over the place with this decision.

Well, Overwatch’s  cowboy hero is officially named Cole Cassidy now, and fans are all over the place about it.

The hero, formerly known as Jesse McCree, was named after an employee no longer at the company after  some serious allegations were labeled against them. So Blizzard announced back in September that the character would get a name change, and at the time,  not every fan was on board. Regardless of that initial blowback, however, the studio decided to change the character’s name anyways, and thus, Cole Cassidy was born.

Blizzard unveiled Cole Cassidy as the hero’s new name on Friday, and it seems like they put a lot of thought into it, too.

Some fans are cool with it, while others see it as little more than a band-aid fix to the  real problems happening at the studio. While others still posted plenty of quality memes about the whole situation. It’s something, I tell you. Check it out for yourself below.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

Cole Cassidy is the new ‘Overwatch’ hero formerly known as McCree

Finally, we know what this cowboy’s new name is.

We’ve known that Blizzard would give Overwatch’s  cowboy hero a new name for a while, but now we know what it is: Cole Cassidy.

After the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing  filed a lawsuit against Blizzard in August for sexual harassment and discrimination of its employees, the developer pledged to make things right piece by piece. One (small) means to do this was to rename a particular Overwatch  hero, formerly known as Jesse McCree, as the character was named after a developer at the studio  were let go amid serious allegations. Now, that hero’s name is Cole Cassidy.

Check out the announcement from Blizzard for yourself below. 

“The first thing a renegade loses is their name, and this one gave up his long ago,” Blizzard said in some flavor text on Twitter. “Running from his past meant running from himself, and each passing year only widened the divide between who he had been and what he had become. But in every cowboy’s life, there comes a time when he has to stop and make a stand. To make this new Overwatch better – to make things right – he had to be honest with his team and himself. The cowboy he was rode into the sunset, and Cole Cassidy face the world at dawn.”

The cowboy hero’s new name of Cole Cassidy will take effect on Oct. 26 in a new update for Overwatch.

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New ‘Overwatch 2’ heroes might debut next Overwatch League season

Aaron Keller claims we may see new heroes soon(ish).

Overwatch 2 probably won’t be out for ages, but its new heroes might debut during the 2022 season of Overwatch League (OWL). During the 2021 OWL grand finals on Saturday, game director Aaron Keller let fans know that we might see some new faces along with familiar favorites amidst the competition, Dot Esports reported.

“Our plan is that we will have all of those heroes, all 32 of those heroes, playable for the next season of Overwatch League,” Keller said during the OWL grand finals broadcast. “And who knows, there might even be a few more.”

It’s been known for a while now that an early build of Overwatch 2 is what the pros will be playing next April when the 2022 OWL season starts. So it adds up that a new hero or two might show up by then. 

During the grand finals, an exhibition match of Overwatch 2 showed off some of the significant changes coming in the sequel. Most notably, the swap from 6v6 to 5v5. However, every hero in the match was from the original game. 

Sojourn, a railgun-wielding Canadian, is the only hero we know of coming in Overwatch 2 so far. It would be great if we got to see more of them and other yet-to-be-shown heroes during next year’s competition.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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Your 2021 Overwatch League champions are the Shanghai Dragons

The team went 4-0 to win it all.

After years of hard-fought competition, the Shanghai Dragons are Overwatch League’s 2021 champions — going 4-0 in the playoffs against the Atlanta Reign to walk away with $1.5 Million in winnings.

Not only is this the Shanghai Dragons’ first championship win in franchise history, but it’s a stark turnaround from their performance during the first season of Overwatch League. In 2018, the Shanghai Dragons went 0-40, failing to even qualify for the playoffs. Yup, the team that just decimated everyone in 2021 did not record a single win during the inaugural season! Byung-chul “Moon” Moon, coach of the Shanghai Dragons, couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

“When I joined the organization for the 2020 season, I really wanted to make the Shanghai Dragons into a strong team that could win and go all the way to the Grand Finals,” Moon said on Overwatch League’s website. “We really wanted to have the Shanghai Dragons’ name be written on the last page of [this era of] Overwatch history while also having fun until the very end, and we were able to achieve that.”

Moon refers to the fact that the next Overwatch League season will use Overwatch 2 rather than the original game. Pretty cool underdog story, to be sure. Hopefully, this is only the beginning of the team’s rise to glory.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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DJ Dillion Francis will perform during the Overwatch League Grand Finals

Electronic music seems like a good fit for Overwatch.

Anyone planning to watch the 2021 Overwatch League Grand Finals is in for a treat, as electronic DJ Dillon Francis will perform a set during the show on Sept. 25. The Latin Grammy-nominated artist expressed quite a bit of enthusiasm about attending too. 

“I wanted to play in the Overwatch League Grand Finals,” Francis said on Twitter. “But I wasn’t good enough, so they let me play a set instead.” 

The set will encompass past hits from Francis and tracks from his forthcoming “Happy Machine” album, Upcomer reported Friday. 

 It’s unclear exactly when he’ll perform during the event, just that it’ll be after the preshow at 5:45 P.M. PT. The schedule is pretty busy this year. Aside from the finals, there will be an exhibition match of Overwatch 2 between some pro teams. Not to mention a comprehensive breakdown of the hero reworks for Sombra and Bastion. 

The 2021 Overwatch League Grand Finals should also be the last time Overwatch will be the center of attention, as next season will use an early build of Overwatch 2. Pretty wild to think about in that context. If there aren’t more cancellations buggering up events, that is.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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Top 5 NFL stars that have invested in esports

Some might be in for the returns, while others are sinking dollars into their hobby.

NFL stars are not just players, but are also business people and some of them instantly recognize the fierce competition in esports and all the opportunities that come with it.

The days of small neighborhood gaming tournaments are long gone. Esports is a global billion-dollar industry now and investors from all walks of life see the potential that comes with grand tournaments broadcasted to millions of viewers.

Many want a share of the revenue generated by the top esports orgs, but only a few truly understand what they are investing their money in. It takes someone that is deeply engrossed in sports competition to grasp the true potential of competitive video gaming. NFL players definitely do and they are getting more and more involved in esports.

Let’s take a look at the top 5 NFL stars that invested in esports.

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New ‘Overwatch 2’ details to come during the Overwatch League Grand Finals on September 25

Sombra and Bastion reworks will be shown off during the pre-show and halftime breaks

Anyone eager for more Overwatch 2 updates should tune in to the Overwatch League  Grand Finals happening Sept. 25, as Blizzard will show off more of the highly-anticipated sequel during the show. 

It looks like we’ll get a look at the hero reworks for both Sombra and Bastion, in addition to seeing some updated character designs. Better yet, there’s going to be an actual exhibition match of Overwatch 2 between several pro players —which is pretty bananas considering the game isn’t due out until next year. All of these sneak peeks will happen during the pre-show and halftime breaks. 

Check out the snazzy trailer for this announcement for yourself below.

It’ll be pretty interesting to see pros play Overwatch 2, particularly because of how different the game is likely to play since it’s 5v5 rather than the original Overwatch’s 6v6. It makes sense that top players would get access first, though, as they will be playing an early build of Overwatch 2 during the 2022 season of Overwatch League. Here’s to hoping the upcoming exhibition match is exciting! 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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Overwatch League’s celebratory All-Star skins are back for a limited time

Missed Celestial D.Va the first time? Well, here’s your chance to get it.

Plenty of Overwatch League’s legendary hero skins have come and gone over the years, but six of them are making a surprising yet welcome return. For a limited time, Overwatch is hosting its second Vault event where players will be able to pick up several legendary All-Star skins from past seasons.

The six All-Star skins include:

  • 2018 Atlantic All-Stars Tracer
  • 2018 Pacific All-Stars Genji
  • 2019 Atlantic All-Stars Mercy
  • 2019 Pacific All-Stars Lúcio
  • 2020 Gaia Reinhardt
  • 2020 Celestial D.Va

These skins are available now through Sept. 26, so there’s plenty of time to grab them if you haven’t already. Each one costs 200 Overwatch League Tokens a piece, which you can either buy with real money or earn through viewing Overwatch League broadcasts. Don’t forget to link your YouTube and Overwatch accounts together should you chose the latter method, though. Given that the 2021 Grand Finals are happening on Sept. 25, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to get those hours in!

Check out a teaser trailer showing off all of these skins for yourself below.

The All-Stars line are some of Overwatch’s rarest hero skins, so tune in to the Gran Finals if you want them! Unless you would rather just fork over the cash for them, of course.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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Early version of ‘Overwatch 2’ to be used in next Overwatch League season

Overwatch League VP Jon Spector confirms that the sequel will be in use during season 5.

When the next season of Overwatch League hits in April 2022, it will be using an early build of Overwatch 2,Kotaku reported Friday. Meaning pro players will get to test the competitive waters long before the game comes out for everyone else.

While additional information on season five of Overwatch League beyond its start date of April 2022 is noticeably light, Blizzard themselves quickly confirmed early reports that Overwatch 2 will be part of it. 

“Oh yeah, also this,” Jon Spector, Overwatch League VP at Blizzard, said on Twitter while quoting mentions of an early build of Overwatch 2 being in use during the 2022 season. 

Check out that thread from Spector for yourself below. 

Given that Overwatch 2 is making sweeping changes to PvP, it makes sense that Blizzard would want to get it into the hands of pros before anyone else. PvP, for example, will opt for 5v5 rather than Overwatch’s 6v6. Teams will also only be allowed to use a single tank, which upset a lot of people.

Here’s to hoping that these changes, in the end, will make Overwatch League even more exciting than it was before. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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