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Overwatch League Ramping Up With 'Scouting Report' Of Top Players
First announced at last year's Blizzcon, The Overwatch League has been in its developmental stages for a long time. But after slow ramp up and a few international leagues, the main event is one step closer to getting started.
Overwatch League commissioner Nate Nanzer posted an update on the league's official website, detailing a "scouting report" that hopes to survey and gather the game's best talent into teams and compete in the league. Today the league sent out a survey to "a select group of top players from around the world," who have the option to include their data in the scouting report. In order to qualify players for the survey, the league used a set of criteria:
- "A top-500 finish in Competitive Play (based on Skill Rating) in Overwatch Seasons 3 or 4 for any region"
- "A playoff finish in recent high-caliber tournaments such as APEX Season 2 or Premier Series 2017 Spring, or an invitation to Pacific Championship 2017 Season 1"
- "Other distinguishing qualifications indicative of top-tier talent, including but not limited to membership on an established professional Overwatch team"
- A Blizzard account in good standing
- Legal requirements, including age and eligibility to participate in professional competition
Players in the survey are asked if they're interested in participating in the league, about their experiences, and permission for the Overwatch League to share their info with the teams they're working with to build the league. The league hopes to use this data to help teams have a good, workable roster to draft from. Teams are encouraged to use the information from the scouting report, but can draft players from other sources as well. Being part of the survey does not guarantee a player a spot in the league.
Nanzer ends the post by letting the community know the league is listening to fans, and promises more information on the league is "coming soon."
Our Take
The scouting report is perfectly in line with Blizzard's attempts to be as transparent with its esports titles as possible, and it's good to see it detailing its process. That said, I'm offended that I wasn't called to participate in the survey, even though I haven't played an Overwatch match in about a month and a half.
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