Overwatch League announces new teams in Atlanta and Guangzhou

The Overwatch League announced today that two new teams will join the world's first major global city-based esports league, one in Atlanta, Georgia, headed by Atlanta Esports Ventures, and the other in Guangzhou, China, operated by financial and entertainment conglomerate Nenking Group, owner of the Chinese Basketball Association's Guangzhou Long Lions. Paul Hamilton, the president and CEO of Atlanta Esports Ventures, told us ahead of the announcement that existing teams will come into season two with the benefit of experience, but he expects his Atlanta outfit to be competitive right from the start. 

"I think we're at a disadvantage, but that's because we have lot of things that we need to do. But we've also been able to watch what's worked and what hasn't worked for [other teams]," Hamilton said.   

"What's so neat is watching different owners come at this in a different way. The four or five teams that were successful were such a blend of from-scratch and endemic teams, so I think that we're just slightly behind. But we're not at a major disadvantage." 

Pete Vlastelica, president and CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues, echoed that sentiment, saying that the ownership behind roughly half the teams that took part in season one did not have previous esports experience.   

"When we announced them, a lot of people said these guys were going to get destroyed by the endemic teams that we were working with. But if you look at these finals, one of the teams is a long-standing endemic organization—Cloud9, that's behind the London Spitfire—and the other group is Comcast, which is an organization not that different from [Atlanta Esports Ventures partner] Cox Enterprises," Vlastelica said. "When we announced Comcast, people thought they didn't have a chance to compete and here they are at the Grand Finals. I think that speaks to the fact that we are very early in this industry, and there's not 'one way' to do anything." 

Hamilton said the Atlanta ownership group is focused on "creating the best team" rather than picking up big-name individual players and hoping they mesh, and it is already working on "a litany of ideas" to cultivate and engage the fanbase in Georgia. He also dismissed a suggestion that the Atlanta Curse, which has taken a toll on the Braves, the Falcons, and the Hawks, will strike the city's Overwatch League team too. 

"I don't believe in curses," he said. "We're going to create a great deal of love between the city and our sports organization, and we're going to do everything we can do win." 

Names for the new Atlanta and Guangzhou teams, along with colors, logos, and rosters, will be announced later, but Hamilton teased us with a hint, saying that it will include the word "Atlanta." 

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Latest in FPS
Fragpunk FPS
Fragpunk review
Rainbow Six Siege year 9 season 2 key art - two Rainbow Six Siege operators facing each other
'Siege 2 was never on the table': Rainbow Six Siege X director explains why the 10-year-old FPS doesn't need a sequel
rainbow six siege sledge
After holding out for 10 years, Rainbow Six Siege is finally going free-to-play (kind of)
rainbow six siege x dual front mode
Rainbow Six Siege is getting its first permanent mode in 10 years, and it throws every Siege rule out the window
Fragpunk characters with weapon drawn
The latest big game on Steam is Fragpunk, or as I like to call it, 'kitchen-sink Counter-Strike'
spectre divide
Spectre Divide and its studio are shutting down after just six months: 'The industry is in a tough spot right now'
Latest in News
Will Poulter holding a CD ROM
'What are most games about? Killing': Black Mirror Season 7 includes a follow-up to 2018 interactive film Bandersnatch
Casper Van Dien in Starship Troopers
Sony, which is making a Helldivers 2 movie, is also making a new Starship Troopers movie, but it's not based on the Starship Troopers movie we already have
Assassin's Creed meets PUBG
Ubisoft is reportedly talking to Tencent about creating a new business entity to manage Assassin's Creed and other big games
Resident Evil Village - Lady Dimitrescu
'It really truly changed my life in every possible way': Lady Dimitrescu actor says her Resident Evil Village role was just as transformative for her as it was for roughly half the internet in 2021
Storm trooper hero
Another live service shooter is getting shut down, this time before it even launched on Steam
Possibility Space concept art.
Possibility Space owners sue NetEase for $900 million over allegations it spread 'false and defamatory rumors' of fraud at the studio that ultimately forced it to close