![]() ![]() The third-ranked Spitfire defeated the second-ranked Outlaws and the top-ranked Excelsior 3-1 and 3-2, respectively, to win the first Stage Championship and the top prize of USD$100,000. The Stage 1 Playoffs took place on February 10th, with the top three teams from the stage competing for USD$125,000. The Valiant defeated intrastate rivals Shock 4-0 in the opening match. The regular season, which was split into four month-long "stages," began with Stage 1 on January 10th, 2018, from Blizzard Arena Los Angeles in Burbank, California. The Dallas Fuel, Los Angeles Valiant, and Seoul Dynasty finished at the top of the league in a three-way tie for first. The Fusion opted out of the preseason due to "player logistics issues.". Season 1 commenced on December 6th, 2017 with a preseason of exhibition matches. Teams would be required to have at least 6 players, and no more than 12 total. Teams would also be required to distribute at least half of their team performance bonuses to their players directly, and that the total bonuses available for OWL teams in Season 1 would amount to USD$3.5 million, with a minimum of USD$1 million awarded to the Season 1 Champions. All teams would be required to provide health insurance, a retirement savings plan, and housing and practice facilities for their players. It outlined, among other things, that the minimum player salary would be USD$50,000, and that initial contracts would be for a minimum term of 1 year. On July 26th, 2017, Blizzard released details on player salaries and signing procedure and timelines for the inaugural season. Blizzard had reportedly been in talks with Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wes Edens about a Chicago team to be operated by Edens' esports team FlyQuest, but this never came to fruition. The first seven teams announced were Boston Uprising, New York Excelsior, San Francisco Shock, Los Angeles Valiant, Florida Mayhem, Shanghai Dragons, and Seoul Dynasty, which were later followed by London Spitfire, Los Angeles Gladiators, Philadelphia Fusion, Dallas Fuel, and Houston Outlaws. Owners included esports organizations, billionaires with professional sports portfolios, and venture capital firms. The first 12 cities and owners were announced on July 12th, August 10th, and September 20th, 2017. ![]() The league was announced to be starting in Q3 of 2017, a date which would later be pushed back to 'late 2017'. The league was revealed to be using a franchising model for its teams, with each team spot representing a city. A trailer was released, detailing the career of fictional player 'Krusher99'. Overwatch League was announced at BlizzCon 2016. ![]()
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