According to a number of well-researched outlets, Overwatch just isn't the sustainable esport that many of the big-name competitive teams were hoping it would be. Not right now, at least.
With the first year of Overwatch already behind us, it's difficult to really name all that many big tournaments that have centred around last year's blockbuster multiplayer shooter. But how can a multiplayer shooter with 30 million players struggle to put a dent in the viewer numbers of League of Legends, CSGO and DotA 2?
According to most, it's mostly down to Blizzard themselves and how silent they've been on the whole organization after so long. Despite the massive success the game saw upon launch (and even know), Activision Blizzard still haven't officially launched their main esports push - the Overwatch League - and it seems as if a lot of the big teams are just thinking it's too little too late by this point.
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While Blizzard seemingly argue that these organizations are dropping their teams too early and not thinking about the long-term viability of the upcoming Overwatch League, we can imagine they're simply left wondering why it's taken Blizzard this long to kick things into gear. Numerous third-party competitions have come and gone over the last year and struggled to pull in viewer numbers reflecting that massive 30 million + player count.
The reason why is anyone's guess, but it's evidently Blizzard's slow uptake on the opportunity that has the other groups worrying - and disbanding. High-ranking players picked up by Ninjas in Pyjamas have already called it quits with the Evil Geniuses team throwing in the towel after just 8 weeks. Though the latter cited incompatibilities with the team and an unfavourable result in their last competition, there's no saying the issues don't stem from this tense situation
VentureBeat notes that Overwatch Takeover 2 in June only managed a viewership of around 25,000. Take a look at a recent game like PlayUnknown's Battlegrounds, however, and you'll find lone streamers with around 15,000 views in the early hours of the Americas. Blizzard were eventually blamed for StarCraft 2's dwindling popularity, and it seems they could be taking the hit for a missing opportunity here too.
