It's no surprise that a renowned PC game developer like Blizzard has chosen to focus their league-building efforts on the superior and most flexible platform for esports.


But with Blizzard touting "​more chances to become an Overwatch pro" recently, considering the game's sizable console fanbase, they would be wise to also establish a small console league for the Xbox One and Playstation 4 versions of Overwatch.

Even if Blizzard gave that league a small fraction of the attention they focus on Overwatch League, it would take off. Console gamers are anything but uninterested in esports – the success of both Halo, Gears of War, and Call of Duty with MLG has proven that.


Console gamers enjoy spectating and learning new strategies and team plays just like their PC gaming brethren. All Blizzard would need to do is establish a system identical to the current ​Overwatch Open Division, wherein all players who achieve the competitive rank of Master or higher are eligible to sign up on ​ESL Play.

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From there, teams can pair off and duke it out on a rolling basis for a month until it's down to eight teams with the most wins. Run a tourney featuring those final teams and run a modest broadcast and you've got yourself easy money, Blizzard. You can thank me later.


While console Overwatch play isn't typically as fast-paced or precise as PC gameplay is, the game sense is essentially the same and the different gameplay dictates its own set of skills.

Besides allowing console players to feel a little less left out, the somewhat slower gameplay might allow non-gamer spectators to have some small grasp on what's going on. For all we know, a modest Overwatch console league would interest those who still haven't picked up a copy of the game.


Already there's an unofficial ​Overwatch Console League on Twitch that's sponsored and crowdfunded through Matcherino. The demand's there, and it could be profitable for Blizzard and good for the Overwatch community as a whole. There's only one way to find out!

Cover photo courtesy of ​Overwatch Console League