Comcast is now a player in the Overwatch League, as it has landed the rights to a Philadelphia-based franchise in the upcoming esports circuit.
Announced on Wednesday as part of a series of team additions to the league, Comcast Spectacor will run the Philadelphia franchise in Activision Blizzard’s upcoming Overwatch League. To this point, the league has recruited a few owners will connections to the major sports world, including MLS’ New England Revolution and NFL’s New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who will control Boston’s entry.
For Comcast Spectacor, this adds to a deep sports portfolio that includes ownership of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and their home arena, the Wells Fargo Center. Down the road, the company will to look to open an esports arena in Philadelphia, a city with a strong Overwatch scene. More from Bloomberg:
There are 300,000 Overwatch players in the Philadelphia area, said Dave Scott, chief executive of Comcast Spectacor, the company’s sports and live events business. The company is in the process of hiring a coach and players as well as looking for an arena seating less than 5,000 people.
“We like the idea of hosting events, bringing in fans and growing this market,” Scott said.
As noted, this is not the only recent ownership addition to the Overwatch League, which now stands at 12 teams. Team Envy will be backed by Hearst Interactive Group in its control of a Dallas-based team, while OpTic Gaming has acquired the rights to the Houston-based entry. The Overwatch League’s preseason will begin at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles on December 6, with the regular season kicking off on January 10, 2018.
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