This announcement surfaced less than 24 hours following the conclusion of what might be the sixth and final season of the Overwatch League (OWL), with it won by Florida Mayhem in a scintillating grand final.

“With the completion of the 2023 Overwatch League season, we will be focusing on building our vision of a revitalised esports program,” read a post on the official OWL Twitter account.

“We’re eager to share more with you as details are finalised.”

Simultaneously, there was a subtle, yet poignant farewell from members of the broadcast team as they signed off the stream, further fuelling speculation regarding the future of the Overwatch League.

The above statement adds to a series of announcements and reports over recent months that collectively sketch a grim outlook for the OWL. Back in July, amidst whispers of change, Activision Blizzard released a financial dossier. This report disclosed that franchise owners were slated to cast their votes on an “updated operating agreement” once the curtain fell on the current season. For teams choosing to bow out of the league, a termination fee of $6 million would be their parting gift.

In the shadow of this imminent vote, OWL officials reportedly initiated dialogues with various participants within the Overwatch esports landscape last month. According to a report by GGRecon, the survival of the OWL under the revamped operating agreement hinges on the approval of two-thirds of the existing franchises.

However, the narrative unfolding does not necessarily spell the doom of Overwatch esports. Instead, it might signify a pivot towards a distinct model and structure, possibly echoing the open system that highlighted Overwatch esports in its early days, pre-dating the inception of the OWL.

As of now, with limited information available, the trajectory of Overwatch esports remains shrouded in uncertainty, while fans remain in the dark.

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As perpetual underdogs, Hangzhou Spark have proven everyone wrong before, and they might do it again by relying on a strong DPS line and experienced players. But while they shouldn’t be underestimated, the Spark have shown that they’re not the most efficient team in the current Zarya meta.

Atlanta Reign field some of the best Overwatch esports players in the world and have by far the strongest backline in the league. That alone makes them a daunting opponent, not to mention that the Reign’s flexibility makes it very tough to strategize against them.

Hangzhou can be a dangerous underdog, but a lot will have to go their way for the Spark to be competitive against the top few squads. Atlanta Reign to sweep is an obvious choice.

Seoul Infernal are one of the weakest teams entering the OWL 2023 Playoffs, and even though they have outperformed expectations in the latter half of the season, it’s unlikely they will accomplish much in this bout.

Like the Infernal, Dallas Fuel haven’t looked amazing this season, but they’ve found momentum in the latter stages and enter OWL 2023 Playoffs as a dangerous dark horse. Much of that has to do with the meta shifting into their favour and Choi “Hanbin” Han-been finding his stride.

The problem with this is that Dallas Fuel’s success will likely rely solely on Hanbin and how well he does on Zarya. This is an area Seoul Infernal can look to exploit, but that’s not enough to believe that the Fuel will lose.

London Spitfire looked terrible until the final stretch of the season, when they took down a couple of big names. Their out-of-the-norm playstyle and favoured compositions are unlike any other team in the playoffs, which makes the Spitfire a pain to deal with when things click for them.

Boston Uprising’s roster is full of previous champions and top-tier talent, which makes them one of the teams to watch out for in the OWL 2023 Playoffs. Their road to success is fairly simple: just keep playing at the same pace they have throughout the season.

London Spitfire can be an exciting underdog, and they have a chance to cause some chaos in the group stage. However, Boston Uprising are far too experienced to get caught off guard by the Spitfire’s curveballs.

Heading into the OWL 2023 Playoffs, the biggest concern with Houston Outlaws was their inability to adapt to the current meta. However, they were aware of their flaw and picked up an excellent Zarya player, Shin “BERNAR” Se-won, at the start of the week to fill that gaping void.

Florida Mayhem have one distinct advantage over other Overwatch teams: flexibility. This team can play any composition and is very good at adapting to any opponent, which will be the Mayhem’s ticket to winning the championship.

The Outlaws are individually good enough to compete with the Mayhem, and the addition of BERNAR is a big positive. Overall, however, Florida’s ability to play anything makes them a more reliable pick.

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The intention behind the changes was to level the playing field across all teams, but the outcome has left many with a bitter taste just days before the event kicks off in Toronto on September 28.

Previously, the league employed a double-elimination format for playoffs; however, the 2023 playoffs are structured into a group stage followed by a single-elimination stage.

The most contentious issue arises from the manner in which seeding was determined.

Five teams secured automatic qualification, while two West teams and one East team fought their way in through play-ins.

This resulted in an uneven balance of regional representation, prompting the league to find a solution.

In an unprecedented move, the OWL held a draft where teams had the opportunity to choose which opponents they would not face, a decision that has left some coaches bewildered.

What’s particularly irksome is that seeding was determined by the draft rather than regular-season performances, leading to widespread frustration across the league.

The seedings in groups, which dictate the team that gets the map pick to start the series, are as follows: Atlanta Reign, Seoul Infernal, Florida Mayhem, London Spitfire, Houston Outlaws, Boston Uprising, Dallas Fuel, and the Hangzhou Spark.

Criticism has been vocalized, with Florida Mayhem coach Jordan “Gunba” Graham pointing out that the higher seed consistently gets to choose the first map of Control.

This was also the case in previous events, but with the introduction of the new map type, Flashpoint, Control will now only be played once per series.

For example, the London Spitfire, despite being the last Overwatch team to qualify for playoffs, are positioned in fourth place. This grants them map advantages over teams that, based on their performance, they might not have received.

Gunba expressed his astonishment at this seeding system, deeming London’s fourth-place position “insane” and emphasizing that the Spitfire now enjoy a “huge competitive advantage”.

The impact of this new seeding system extends to on-site practices in Toronto, as certain teams gain an even greater edge.

The venue only accommodates four teams for practice at a time, with seeding determining which teams receive more dedicated server time for scrimmages.

Gunba argues that both seeding and practice time should be based on regular season standings rather than qualification method.

The Overwatch League responded to GGRecon’s inquiry regarding the scrim issue, stating, “All teams are receiving the same amount of practice time in equivalent facilities.”

As tensions rise, teams are compelled to navigate these challenges in their pursuit of the 2023 title.

The impending OWL 2023 playoffs are set to commence on Thursday, September 28, concluding with the crowning of the sixth OWL champions on Sunday, October 1.

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San Francisco Shock lost 1-3 against London Spitfire last week, but they might have a chance to bounce back this weekend. The Shock aren’t that bad, but they don’t have an identity or a set way of playing the game. The more you watch them play, the clearer it becomes that this team lacks stability.

Vancouver Titans were reverse-swept by Toronto Defiant on Sunday in a match that could’ve easily ended in their favour. Even though the Titans lost the Canadian Derby, they showed improvement, partly because the current meta seems to favour their preferred heroes.

The offered OWL esports betting odds on this match look fair. Even though San Francisco are not terrible, they should not be able to beat Vancouver with how they’ve been playing. The Shock lost 1-3 against the Titans at the start of August, which makes it hard to take the underdogs.

London Spitfire started the Overwatch League 2023 Play-Ins strong, crushing San Francisco Shock with 3-2 on Hybrid (Midtown), 3-0 on Flashpoint (Suravasa), and 120.9-82.75 on Push (Esperan?a). Unfortunately, the Spitfire lost 1-3 to Boston Uprising in the second round, but that’s not that worrying given how good the Uprising are.

Washington Justice defeated New York Excelsior 3-1 in the opening round of the play-ins but went down 0-3 to Toronto Defiant in the upper-bracket quarterfinals. This team has looked decent over the last couple of months, particularly DPS players Kim “AlphaYi” Jun and Lim “Flora” Young-woo. The only problem is the tank position, which the Justice need to figure out if they want to produce a deep run.

As the latest Overwatch betting odds suggest, London Spitfire should have no real issue beating the Justice this weekend. They know how they want to play and they’re good at executing their strategy. Even though the Spitfire lack top-tier talent and will struggle against teams with better individuals, this one shouldn’t be a problem.

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Shanghai Dragons finished the OWL 2023 Summer Stage Knockouts in last place after losing to Sin Prisa Gaming twice, but that was hardly surprising. The Dragons have not looked good this season, and while they had a relatively solid 6-6 run through the Summer Stage Qualifiers, they have been uncompetitive against stronger teams.

Dallas Fuel, meanwhile, are among the best-performing OWL esports teams in the East region. Last month, the Fuel won the Summer Stage Qualifiers and made it to the Summer Stage Knockouts final, where they lost against Hangzhou Spark.

Dallas Fuel might not be as good as the Spark, but they’re up there with the top OWL East teams, and we expect that to show on Friday.

Guangzhou Charge didn’t look amazing a few weeks back when they exited the Summer Stage Knockouts in the first round. In their defence, the Charge only lost against the two Group B finalists, 02 Blast and Seoul Dynasty, but it’s not like they’ve shown much in the 2023 Overwatch season.

Since winning the Spring Stage Qualifiers in May, Guangzhou have not produced anything even remotely as impressive. What’s worse, the Charge have been losing traction since the start of the summer and enter this match on a nine-game slide.

Seoul Dynasty defied all the odds and won OWL 2023 Summer Stage Knockouts. They’ve had very high highs but also low lows, making them an exciting team to watch but also a bit of a risky pick due to their inconsistencies.

Even though the Dynasty can be hit-or-miss, based on what we’ve seen from the two teams, Seoul should beat the Charge, just as they did at the start of September.

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Dallas Fuel and Poker Face met in the upper-bracket semifinals of OWL Summer Stage Knockouts, where Dallas Fuel won 3-0 with 2-0, 2-1, 3-0.

Poker Face have since found some traction, defeating Rhodes (3-0) and ending Dreamer’s run in the lower-bracket semis (3-2). Dallas Fuel have played just one game in that time, losing 3-0 to Hangzhou Spark.

The Fuel played fairly well against the Spark and forced every map to the final round, so that loss isn’t too worrying. Still, Poker Face have looked good in their last two outings, especially Kim “PEPPI” Noah and Lee “Aiden” Seung-jun.

Overwatch betting sites have Dallas Fuel priced at -2500, which is quite short, but it’s not like we can expect them to lose against Poker Face. The Fuel should win, but taking Poker Face to steal at least one map is the better play.

Seoul Infernal and Seoul Dynasty will clash in the lower-bracket final of Group B in what should be an entertaining affair between two rival teams.

The Dynasty have been struggling this season and barely made it to the knockout stage after finishing the qualifiers in fourth place. Much of their issues had to do with not having the right players for the meta, which led to the departure of Kim “Prophet” Hyun-been and Lee “LeeSooMin” Soo-Min to O2 Blast. But as soon as the duo left, the meta shifted again, putting the Dynasty in a tough spot.

The Infernal have not had that many issues this season and have looked quite stable. Besides placing in the top six at Midseason Madness, they have done well in the three qualifying events, most recently ending the Summer Stage Qualifiers in second place with a 7-1 record.

So far in the Summer Stage Knockouts, Seoul Infernal have crushed Sin Prisa Gaming (3-1) and lost against O2 Blast (1-3) in the upper-bracket finals. On the other side, the Dynasty lost against O2 Blast (0-3) in their first game of the stage and have since beaten Guangzhou Charge (3-1) and edged past Sin Prisa Gaming (3-2) in the semis.

The Infernal should win this game quite easily. They are one of the region’s top two teams, and while the Dynasty are not terrible, there’s still a big gap between the pair.

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New York Excelsior ended the OWL Summer Stage Qualifiers with a 3-2 victory against the Vancouver Titans, which was somewhat surprising knowing how much the Excelsior struggled in the current meta. They played a good game, but there’s still the question of how long this will last and whether the Excelsior truly have figured things out.

Washington Justice squeezed their way into the play-ins despite losing against Toronto Defiant (1-3) on the final day of the qualifiers, marking their third consecutive loss and eighth over a nine-game stretch. Interestingly, the only win over their last nine games came against New York Excelsior (3-1) a month ago.

On one side, we have a team that has struggled with the current meta, and on the other side, a team that is 1-8 since June but are 2-0 in the head-to-head against the Excelsior. This doesn’t make picking a winner any easier; however, at +200 with Overwatch betting sites, Excelior to win with at least two maps to spare looks like a solid value play.

Even though the Excelsior don’t have a clear idea of how they want to play, they’re still in a much better spot than the Justice, who might have a strong head-to-head record, but form-wise, they’re not in a much better spot than New York Excelsior.

It’s very tough to feel optimistic about London Spitfire and their chances to make it to the OWL 2023 Playoffs, mainly due to their concerning results leading into the play-in stage. The Spitfire have won five of their last six games but choked in a very winnable game against Houston Outlaws (2-3).

Choking has become a theme for London, who have otherwise played well this season but could’ve accomplished much more. The Spitfire have the talent to make it through the play-ins, but they have some things to figure out.

San Fransisco Shock drew a lot of attention with their incredible performance against Atlanta Reign (2-3) on Sunday, and even though the game didn’t mean much, the Shock stepped up and delivered.

That performance alone is enough to consider San Fransisco Shock as the better team, but if we zoom out and compare the teams based on what they’ve shown this season, the Spitfire have a higher ceiling. It should be a competitive series, but as long as the Spitfire don’t slip again, they should have an excellent chance to take down the Shock.

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Vancouver Titans finished the OWL Spring Stage Qualifiers in seventh place, with a 4-4 record, but this team is capable of much more than they’ve shown and are very consistent in their showings. Besides their game against Atlanta Reign, there hasn’t been a match where Vancouver Titans didn’t perform well and always made their opponents work hard for the win.

Their next opponents San Francisco Shock are not in a good spot, and it’s tough to praise them too much for going 3-5 the qualifiers. Even though winning three games is nothing to sneeze at, their overall performance was a major disappointment, especially when faced with stronger teams.

In their defence, the Shock had a tough schedule, but that is no excuse for their lacklustre showings. Vancouver Titans are the better team, and it should show on Friday.

Toronto Defiant finished OWL 2023 Spring Stage Qualifiers in eighth place with a 3-5 record, which is far from good. During the qualifiers, the Defiant have managed to defeat only Los Angeles Valiant (3-0), Vegas Eternal (0-3) and New York Excelsior (3-2) but have looked incredibly bad against tougher opponents.

On a more positive note, they defeated New York Excelsior, which explains why Toronto Defiant are priced as favourites for this match. However, we wouldn’t overreact to that game.

New York Excelsior are not quite OWL title contenders, but the eye test proves that they’re a strong mid-table team. Their record from the qualifiers (3-5) is a bit misleading since New York Excelsior played well in most of the games they lost, including against Atlanta Reign (0-3) and Boston Uprising (0-3).

Based on how the last meeting between Toronto Defiant and New York Excelsior ended, it would be fair to expect another win for Defiant. But every other game the teams have played suggest Excelsior are an excellent bet at the offered Overwatch betting odds.

Los Angeles Gladiators have shown a very high peak this season and ended the qualifiers in sixth place with a 5-3 record. They still have a bit more work to do before we can start talking about a possible title run, but they have beaten some good teams during OWL 2023 Spring Stage qualifiers, including Florida Mayhem (3-2).

Since then, the Gladiators have lost against Atlanta Reign (0-3) and Washington Justice (0-3) but performed well against bottom feeders Vegas Eternal (3-0) and London Spitfire (3-1).

The Florida Mayhem are undeniably one of the elite-tier teams in the OWL and arguably the current best team in the West. They finished the qualifiers with a 6-2 record, with both losses ending on map five. And if there was ever any doubt about the Mayhem’s quality, their five-map series against Houston Outlaws on Saturday proves just how dangerous the Mayhem can be.

The top Overwatch betting sites have Florida Mayhem priced as a heavy favourite, which is fair. The Gladiators have the talent to be competitive, but in their current form, Los Angeles Gladiators will struggle to defeat the Mayhem.

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Poko has been with the team since November 2021 and competed in the inaugural Overwatch tournament in 2017-2018, in which he was famed for his spectacular bomb kills, which fans called the “Poko Bombs”. This limelight came during his stint with Philadelphia Fusion, who finished the season in second place.

Kaan is a 22-year-old German player who only just joined London Spitfire in August of this year and has played for other teams such as Paris Eternal and Obey Alliance. The organization also acknowledged the time spent with Kaan, and noted that he was a valuable contributor to the team.

“You joined the team at a critical juncture and stepped up when we needed you most. It takes grit and skill to execute under pressure, but you never broke a sweat! Thank you for everything, @Kaan_ow – we wish you all the best,” said London Spitfire in a tweet.

Among the three players exiting the team, Shax has had the longest stint. The 23-year-old Danish player joined the team in February 2021, having previously represented the Copenhagen Flames, Orgless and Hungry, Mayhem Academy, and a few others. Shax has also participated in countless Overwatch tournaments, such as the 2020 North American Overwatch League, in which Shax and the Los Angeles Valiant finished in fifth-sixth place in the playoffs.

The player also expressed his gratitude to the team and stated that he is rooting for the other players on the team as well.

“Thankful for my time on spitfire these past two years, love everyone on this team and hope they go win it all, as for me will see what happens,” said Shax.

The team also recently parted ways with William “SparkR” Andersson, who revealed that his contract with the organization had expired and he’s looking forward to representing a new organization.

Hence, the London Spitfire team currently includes DPS Jamie “Backbone” O’Neill, who has been with the team since last year; support player Oliver “Admiral” Vaharand; American support player Landon “Landon” McGee; and German national Hadi “Hadi” Bleinagel, who plays the tank role.

This year, the Spitfire have had a good run in tournaments. The team finished in fifth-sixth place in the playoffs of the just concluded 2022 Overwatch League, where Dallas Fuel emerged as champions.

The UK team’s success can also be attributed to their coach, Christopher “ChrisTFer” Graham, who was named Coach of the Year.

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?The November 12 announcement will see the Kraft Sports and Entertainment franchise part with tank Kim “ITSAL” Chang-hee and support players Lee “MCD” Jeong-ho and Kim “Faith” Hong-gyu. The news was released via the team’s official Twitter account.? ?

“Today we part ways with @OW_Faith,” the tweet read.?

?”You brought so much passion to the Uprising, not just in-game, but outside as well. Your positive energy will be felt for seasons to come.

“We are proud to have had you as a member of our team these past few years. Good luck and thank you.

“Today we say farewell to @OWITSAL.? ?Thank you for your dedication and hard work this season, in both OWL and @UprisingAcad. You brought your passion into every match.? ?We look forward to seeing what you accomplish next! Good luck.

“Farewell and thank you, @MCD_OW.? ?You worked extremely hard this past season, and made sure you brought your all to every game.? ?We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors; wherever you go, you’ll do just fine.”

While the players listed above have been released from their contracts, other players on Boston’s roster took to their social media accounts to announce their search for a new team.

“Still in talks with Boston for 2023 but they’ve allowed me to look at all possible opportunities,” support William “Crimson” Hernandez wrote on his page.?

?”Hungrier than ever to do whatever it takes to win, I will make your team better.”?

?With fans left confused by the development, the newly recruited Boston Uprising general manager, Aaron “PRE” Heckman, quickly stepped in to shed some light on the situation.

?”Hey Uprising Fans,?I am so thankful for the hard work and perseverance the 2022 Uprising roster demonstrated and am excited to see where they go next!,” PRE wrote.?

?”For 2023 it is important to us that our (soon to be hired) coaching staff has a clean slate to work with and input on all our players.? ?

“For this reason you will see some (*) marked players who, despite expiring or declined contracts, we are still in discussions with for our 2023 competitive team pending coach input.

?“As decisions are made you will be the first to know. Keep an eye on Twitter, updates coming up soon.”

?The player statuses revealed that every man on the team’s roster is technically a free agent. It showed that while Tank Leyton “Punk” Gilchrist and DPS Kim “Valentine” Byeong-ju have had their contracts with the franchise expire, the remaining seven players have declined options on either the team’s or the player’s end.?

The Uprising’s start to the 2022 season was hampered by questionable player cycling and an uncoordinated playing style. Their eventual decision to rally around Punk, relying heavily on consistency as a team rather than solo missions, saw them attain good outcomes. They ended the season with a regular-season record of 10-14.?

?Having parted ways with their coaching staff alongside Valentin “Ascoft” Wulfman, who was recently promoted to the head coach position, the Boston Uprising are yet to fill those roles and are expected to make some announcements in that regard in the coming weeks.

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