The Overwatch League playoffs are this weekend, and along with it, Blizzard’s fps esports outfit is trying as hard as it can to rally gamers to come through and watch what could be the league’s final major tournament.
In Activision Blizzard’s financial report from July, the company addressed issues with the league and said that teams have been offered a termination fee if they can’t agree to an “updated operating agreement” that will change the complexion of the league. So in what could be the final stand for the league, it’s offering fans massive rewards in the form of YouTube drops for watching this weekend.
Along with offering some of the standard YouTube viewer rewards that it always has, like five OWL Tokens for every hour watched, the league also gives players a hefty lump sum of in-game cosmetics as well as up to five battle pass tier skips.
There are specific rewards associated with watching the playoffs and others that are tied to just the finals, but everything comes from watching the action this weekend that begins on Thursday, Sept. 28, and ends on Sunday, Oct. 1.
In total, if players watch earn every reward they will get the following:
- 12 OWL-themed skins (Ashe, Zenyatta, Sigma, Hanzo, Reinhardt, Ana, Mercy, Doomfist, Sombra, Lifeweaver, Reaper, and Illari)
- Three sprays
- Four player icons
- One name card
- Five battle pass tier skips
These rewards don’t include the five OWL tokens that players can receive for every hour watched, which is not capped.
This move to throw massive rewards at players is perhaps Blizzard’s most intense attempt at boosting the league’s viewership, and considering all of the questions surrounding the future of the league, it seems clear that they want to make sure the optics are in their favor when they need to report back to investors.
