The Overwatch League is the official eSports league by Blizzard for the team shooter. However, the place where the professionals compete against each other does not appear very professional to many.
What kind of tournament is this? The Overwatch League is a professional eSports league for the team shooter Overwatch. It regularly hosts matches where Overwatch professionals compete against each other.
Currently, the 2022 season is nearly halfway over, and for that reason, they have started the “Overwatch League Midseason Madness”. This includes not only a unique skin for the character Mercy, but also impressions of the tournament room.
However, this very room where the professionals are supposed to play against each other is criticized by many people. They claim that this place is anything but professional and resembles LAN parties from the last decade.
You can read about how Overwatch 2 plays and feels in the following preview report on MeinMMO:
Official setup for professional players looks like it’s from 2008
What is this really about? A professional Overwatch player named Poko posted a picture of the competition venue on Twitter and wrote: “Tomorrow is sure to be… Exciting?!!”. This led to many comments on the official setup. It is deemed inappropriate for professional gamers.
What exactly is being criticized? Many users criticize that the entire room for competitive gaming is simply unsuitable:
- The teams’ tables are too close together. This way, you can surely hear everything that the opposing team discusses.
- If you stretch your legs, you will hit the opponents on the other side.
- The cable management is also receiving criticism. Because it seems there is none at all.
- The rounded tabletop is found by many to be outdated as well.
Some cannot believe what they see. One person writes: “This is definitely not the current setup.”
Also, Soe Gschwind-Repp, known as Soembie, a prominent caster and analyst for the Overwatch League, criticizes the presented situation on Twitter. She writes on Twitter:
At this point, I am convinced that someone has actively tried to assemble a 2008 “LAN throwback setup”. How…?!
If I can either throw hands or play footsie with my opponent, I am simply too close.
Are there also positive voices? There are also people who do not see it all as dramatic. For example, the professionals are said to be allowed to use very good gaming headsets that provide reliable noise-canceling. This way, they should not be able to hear anything from the opposing teams.
Some doubt whether this setup will really be used in the tournament
How realistic is this situation? However, there are also indications that the setup will not be used in this condition. You can watch an official video from the Overwatch League on YouTube, and here you also get a brief glimpse of the setup. And here it looks different (via YouTube.com):
- The tables have been moved further apart.
- A fabric mat for better ergonomics has been added to the tables.
- Additionally, the table tops in the video no longer look bent.
- The cables have disappeared behind black tarps attached to the tables.
It is also noticeable when comparing the picture of the Overwatch player Poko with the YouTube video that many professionals use their own hardware and have it connected. This raises doubts about whether the professionals of the Overwatch League actually play at the shown setup, or whether Blizzard makes some adjustments before the matches.
This would at least explain the significant differences. Because most of the community’s criticisms are no longer found in the video.
And if you’re wondering why there is only room for 5 people on both sides, then you have missed the most important change in Overwatch 2. The developers have reduced the team size in Overwatch to 5v5. This has a lasting effect on the entire gaming experience:
Overwatch 2 removes one tank, it will only be 5v5 – this also applies to part 1
