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Two NFL franchise owners have invested in Blizzard’s Overwatch League, according to reports.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross have, according to a report by Richard Lewis, purchased Overwatch League Spots in multi-million dollar deals. Dot Esports’ sources are claiming a figure of $20 million was mentioned attached to the deal, although it’s believed this could be an asking price, with no information on what the slots actually sold for.
It’s believed, according to sources from Lewis, that Activision Blizzard’s CEO Bobby Kotick personally worked on the deals, and it lends faith to the general buzz that slots in the Overwatch League would sell for somewhere between $6 and $15 million. This is a price that has ruled out many esports organisations, who are in turn partnering with non-endemic brands, the term referring to brands that do not work primarily in esports, to try and offset the up-front cost of buying a slot.
The cost is so expensive in fact, that several sources have mentioned that several of the traditional esports organisations might be frozen out.
“You’re unlikely to see 90 percent of esports brands involved if things continue this way,” an anonymous source told Richard Lewis.
There’s still no specific date on the start date or structure for the Overwatch League, but the original start date announced at Blizzcon 2016, Q3 2017, is fast approaching.
