A team from the Overwatch League has been forced out of their training house – and that, before the training has even started. The neighbors apparently had concerns. Annoying, as the season starts soon.
Which team is it about? It is about the Houston Outlaws, one of the teams from the Overwatch League, who have been involved since the league’s inception. They rented a training house in The Woodlands, Houston, Texas – a place with quite expensive properties and houses.
Why were the Outlaws forced out? According to the US site click2houston, the residents of the area raised several concerns:
- Traffic
- Noise
- Depreciation
Some of the homes there are worth more than $1.5 million and the owners apparently fear that this value will decrease because of the gamers. In an official statement it was said that parking particularly raises major concerns:
The Residential Design Review Committee noted that if the Development Standards Committee considers granting a permit, it strongly suggests that the committee focuses on parking issues and agrees that vehicles will be towed in case of violation.
Team needs a new house just before the season
This is how the team views the decision: The team itself finds the decision frustrating, but is already looking for a new place for training. This was communicated by General Manager Matt Rodriguez on Twitter:
However, it seems that no one really understands where these concerns of the residents are coming from. For the team and also for the fans, they sound like made-up excuses.
Analynn Dang asks on Twitter if “traffic” might refer to the delivery services used by the players, such as for Chipotle. Rodriguez responds: “I think that is just made-up stuff. We haven’t even used the house for training yet.”
Why is the timing so unfortunate? For the Outlaws, it is very inconvenient to have to search for a new training house right now. Season 3 of the Overwatch League begins on February 8, 2020. Therefore, the team currently lacks opportunities to train for the league.
The Overwatch League itself has some problems as well. Shortly before Season 3, many key people have left the league. Also, the original league head, Nate Nanzer, has not been on board for a while.
A new insider report about Activision Blizzard also casts a rather negative light on the company and the league. It remains to be seen how well Season 3 will perform and how the Outlaws will fare. At least the league might provide hints about Overwatch 2:
