(ThyBlackMan.com) Last year, Blizzard announced an Overwatch league, a new e-sports league to make the game more competitive. In a very professional way, Blizzard is planning to create a world-class sports eco-system for pro players. Since then, there was no update available, but recently, the company announced its first Overwatch league team details showcasing the logo, color choices and the official name.
The new franchise from China will be called “Shanghai Dragons.” The team sports a stylish logo design with a strategic mix of white, red, yellow and black colors. The logo looks more like a branding design of a traditional sports club from China. You can see a dragon with red tail forming the letter “S.” The logo design is available in English and Chinese variations and clearly states that the team is joining the league with global ambitions.
The Overwatch league will also feature teams from different cities around the world. According to Blizzard, it will invite teams from Asia Pacific, China, Europe, Korea, and the America. A total of 12 city-based teams will be taking part in the Overwatch league. Since long, players have been waiting for the updates on the e-sports league and finally, we have got to hear the announcement about the league’s first team. The Shanghai Dragons is led by NetEase, a Chinese internet technology company.
In Chinese culture, the symbol of the dragon means the spirit of supreme and the most powerful entity. In the team’s press release, this reason behind choosing the logo is highlighted. With the spirit of teamwork, Shanghai Dragons will represent their city and their home country during the league matches.
Behind the letter S formed by the dragon figure, there’s a strategic representation of the core values of the team. With that design, the Shanghai Dragons want to showcase their flexibility and skills. Red color has Chinese connection, and that’s the reason why tail of the dragon is designed in red color.
Blizzard and its partners didn’t reveal any details about when the events will take place and where the league matches will be played. Just like these, there are many questions about the game’s future that still remain unanswered. Blizzard has promised fans that soon the announcements about the league will be made and in the coming days, fans can expect more details about the events. Blizzard took almost a year to reveal the details about its first team, so the new updates will likely take time.
The good news is Blizzard will start the sports league on January 10th and the event will run until June and some matches will take place in July as well. There will be a pre-season which is expected to start sometime during December this year. This pre-season will be for the teams to get prepared for the league.
The announcement for the city-based events also came as a surprise because the company wants to offer players contracts and it will also offer them salaries, retirement plans, and health insurance. As a result, many big e-sports group have shown their interest in claiming a new franchise for the Overwatch league at a hefty price tag. Blizzard has already made an announcement regarding some of the teams and also the plans for arenas. The company is all set to open an e-sports arena in Los Angeles in October 2017.
While there are many e-sports leagues, Blizzard is taking a step to stand out by simply redefining the concept of traditional sports leagues. Players will be able to join leagues in a way similar to how traditional pro sports leagues work. Blizzard will host the events where players will be competing for the chance to join any of the teams. Those who will be joining the league will be given all the benefits under the contract introduced by Blizzard.
Staff Writer; Corey Shaw
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