One of the biggest telecommunications brands in Europe is ending its Overwatch team sponsorship, becoming the latest name to pull out of the space.
Despite qualifying for Overwatch Contenders Season One, Movistar Riders will not have their contracts renewed by the organization. DPS players Johan “CWoosH” Klingestedt and Andreas “Logix” Berghmans, tank player Raymond “Kolsti” Tea, flex player Emil “destro” Krastev, and support players Dante Zegveld and Alberto “neptuNo” González will all enter free agency.
It is unclear what will happen to the team’s Overwatch Contenders slot at the start of the season.
In its seven months of existence, Movistar Riders managed to secure first place wins in plenty of online tournaments, including a few majors, like the Overwatch PIT Championship. Most notably, the team qualified for Overwatch Contenders Season One after placing seventh at Season Zero.
Movistar will apparently continue to evaluate Overwatch as Blizzard releases more information about its upcoming Overwatch League. That echoes the sentiments of teams like Evil Geniuses, Team Dignitas, and Ninjas in Pyjamas, who are just a few of the teams who have left the scene in recent months.
Blizzard’s Overwatch League was announced at BlizzCon in November 2016, but details about the proposed late 2017 launch have been scarce. Some teams have attributed their concerns over Overwatch to uncertainty about the league.
