Det ryktas att Blizzards planer på att starta en Overwatch-liga för proffsspelare går trögt på grund av att högt pris (20 miljoner dollar) för deltagande. Uppgifterna publicerades av siten ESPN som hänvisade till flera anonyma källor.
Svenska Blizzard har i dag skickat ett officiellt uttalande till FZ, där man klargör sin ståndpunkt i frågan. Noterbart är att man kritiserar det faktum att det sprids obekräftade uppgifter om priset för deltagande – men man kommenterar inte ryktet om priset i sig. Vilket givetvis inte är en bekrätelse på att uppgiften stämmer, men ej heller någon dementi.
Blizzard säger att målet är att göra esport av Overwatch, att namnet blir Overwatch League och att den vänder sig till en bred publik. Man understryker också att man kommer gå ut med information om saker och ting så snart man är redo att göra så, vilket inte är fallet än.
Blizzards uttalande i sin helhet:
We appreciate that there's a lot of enthusiasm about the Overwatch League, which has translated into months of speculation--including reports circulating unverified and wildly ranging rumors from anonymous sources about purported deal terms, team pricing, and other details. We understand the interest in the rumors, and we feel it’s important to clarify some things for our community.
First, we want to be clear that our ultimate goal is to create an exciting Overwatch esports ecosystem, the pinnacle of which will be the Overwatch League, that's accessible to a wide audience, sustainable, and rewarding for everyone involved. We're doing our best to take great care with building this ecosystem, and as with much of what we do, we don't release information until we're at a place where it makes sense to do so.
Second, we'd like to dispel any rumors that we're ignoring endemics. Anyone who knows Blizzard understands how deeply we care about the communities around our games. The league is built upon the best elements of endemic esports programs and traditional sports, and we’re in active discussions with many teams and owners from both worlds because it will take a village to stand up a league with such an unprecedented structure. Those conversations have been going well and there’s a lot of excitement around our ambitious plans.
Finally, it's important to think twice about statements from unnamed sources, who may try to leverage the media to deliberately spread misinformation as bargaining tactics or for other competitive reasons. We look forward to officially sharing real details about the league and the ecosystem as a whole as we continue the development process. In the meantime we are staying focused on our goal of creating an awesome Overwatch esports experience for players, partners, and fans, and we want to thank everyone for their continued support.
