Jake (video game player)

Last updated

Jake
Jacob Lyon
Personal information
Born (1996-07-28) July 28, 1996 (age 23)
La Jolla, San Diego, California
NationalityAmerican
Career information
StatusRetired
League Overwatch League
RoleFlex DPS
Career history
2016–2017-bird noises-
2017Hammers Esports
2017 Luminosity Gaming Evil
2017United States
2018–2019 Houston Outlaws

Jacob Lyon (born July 28, 1996), better known by his online alias Jake, is an American professional Overwatch player who played for the Houston Outlaws in the Overwatch League. Prior to joining the Outlaws, he played for the teams -bird noises-, Hammers Esports, and Luminosity Gaming Evil, and was the captain of the 2017 United States Overwatch World Cup team.

Contents

Jake is one of the Overwatch League's best known players, and has served as an ambassador of esports. He was interviewed by The Today Show about the Overwatch League, and represented esports players at a summit with the International Olympic Committee.

Playing career

Early career

Prior to the release of Overwatch, Lyon was a Team Fortress 2 player under the alias "sneakypolarbear". He began playing at 11 and competing at age 14, first in the Highlander and later in the 6v6 competitive formats. Two years later he had become skilled enough to receive an ESEA League invitation. When he decided to compete in Overwatch, he changed his alias to "Jake" (sometimes stylized as "JAKE") to avoid being mistaken as the League of Legends player Sneaky. [1] 2:10, 4:10 [2] 1:30

Lyon did not receive an invitation to participate in Overwatch's pre-release open beta, and began playing the game only upon its public release. At the time, Lyon was a college student and was studying abroad in the Netherlands. He was able to distinguish himself as one of the game's best players, achieving a top-500 rank in the game's competitive mode, despite playing on sub-optimal equipment. [1] 3:00 Lyon credits his time playing Team Fortress 2 for giving him a strong starting point for Overwatch, noting that as a TF2 Soldier player, he had experience with both hitscan and projectile weapons, and that the in-game communication style transferred over well, since both games were fast-paced and required a large amount of in-game communication. [2] 6:20, 7:50

Jake and five other former Team Fortress 2 players founded the team -bird noises-, reusing a team name that two of the other players had used in TF2. Although they all came from the same game, most had not played with each other before Overwatch. -bird noises- was eventually signed by Hammers Esports. In an interview, Jake described Hammers as the first organization to give them a reasonable offer, mentioning that they had received other offers before Hammers', but that they were not for living wages, and one even offered to pay them in mouse pads. [2] 4:30, 18:00 Hammers sold the roster to Luminosity Gaming a few months later, and since Luminosity already had an Overwatch roster, the former-Hammers roster competed under the name Luminosity Gaming Evil. [1] 4:25 [3] During one online competition as part of LG Evil, Lyon attempted to play through a tornado warning, and at one point the match had to be delayed because he needed to evacuate to the basement of his college dorm until the warning passed. [2] 28:00

Houston Outlaws

In the months between the World Cup qualifiers and the finals, Lyon was signed to the OpTic Gaming-owned Houston Outlaws, one of the teams in the newly formed Overwatch League. Three of Lyon's World Cup teammates would also go on to be part of the team; Matt "coolmatt69" Iorio had already been signed, and Shane "Rawkus" Flaherty and Russell "FCTFCTN" were signed after Lyon. Partway through the year, Kyle "KyKy" Souder, the 2017 World Cup team coach, also joined Outlaws as an assistant coach. [4] [5] In their inaugural season, the Outlaws would finish with a 22-18 match record, and end the season in 7th place, one spot short of making the end-of-year playoffs. [6]

In Overwatch, Jake is projectile DPS specialist and in-game leader. Extremely proficient with hero Junkrat, he became so closely associated with the character that fans began calling him "Jakerat". [1] 6:15 [7] [8] Lyon credits his success with the character on being willing to take aggressive, one-on-one engagements with opponents, and on having devised ways to maximize the hero's impact that other players had not yet discovered. [9] In addition to Junkrat, Jake is known for his play on the heroes Soldier:76 and Pharah, and for being an in-game shot caller (a player that communicates strategy to teammates during the game). [1] 7:30 [10] 2:00

On December 7, 2019, Lyon announced that he was retiring from professional Overwatch competition, citing that he felt that he "forcibly stagnated [his] process of learning, growth, and exploration." [11]

International career

Jake was selected as the captain of the 2017 United States Overwatch World Cup team. The team qualified for the tournament finals at BlizzCon 2017 through their participation in a qualification tournament in Santa Monica, California. This event was Lyon's first offline tournament in front of a live audience; his previous competitions were online-only. [10] 1:30 [4] At the main event, the team lost in the quarterfinals in an unexpectedly close series to favorites and eventual tournament-winners South Korea. [12]

Casting career

Lyon declined tryouts for the 2018 Overwatch World Cup, announcing on Twitter that he had "bigger plans this year". This fueled rumors that Jake would be retiring as a player, either to join a team's coaching staff or to become an in-game broadcaster or "caster". He would later be announced as a caster for the Incheon, South Korea stage of the World Cup qualifiers, paired with veteran caster Andrew "ZP" Rush. As a caster duo, Rush would handle play-by-play casting, and Lyon would handle analysis. [13] [14]

After retiring from competitive Overwatch, it was a announced that Lyon would join the Overwatch League talent as a commentator. [15]

Esports ambassador

Charismatic and outspoken, Lyon has developed a reputation as a "leading personality amongst players", [1] 4:50 and is seen as an ambassador to Overwatch and to esports. Financial Review called him "the perfect poster-boy for the sport as it tries to dispel the prejudice that computer-gaming is a lonely pursuit of wastrels and slobs". [16] In July 2018, Lyons was selected as one of two Overwatch League players to attend a summit between the International Olympic Committee and the esports community. The Times-Standard praised the selection, saying that Lyon was "likely one of the best players that could have been selected to publicly represent professional esports on a global scale". [17] A few months prior to the meeting with the IOC, Lyon and Outlaws teammate Shane "Rawkus" Flaherty spoke with Megyn Kelly about the Overwatch League in a segment on The Today Show . [18]

Personal life

Lyon was born in La Jolla, California, on July 28, 1996. Outside of esports, his interests include outdoor activities such as rock climbing and kayaking. [1] 1:40 Although Jake is known for being outspoken in and about Overwatch, he considers himself an introverted person, telling Blitz Esports "I always liked time alone and I never feel really relaxed unless I'm by myself". [19]

Related Research Articles

Tempo Storm American eSports professional video game team

Tempo Storm is an American esports professional video game team that has teams competing in Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, Fortnite, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six SiegeWorld of Warcraft, FIFA, fighting games, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Magic: The Gathering, and Shadowverse.

2016 Overwatch World Cup 2016 Overwatch esports tournament

The 2016 Overwatch World Cup was the inaugural Overwatch World Cup, an annual Overwatch esports tournament, organized by Blizzard Entertainment, the game's developer. It was the first of the series, and the final tournament took place at BlizzCon at the Anaheim Convention Center from November 4–5, 2016.

Overwatch League Professional esports league

The Overwatch League (OWL) is a professional esports league for the video game Overwatch, produced by its developer Blizzard Entertainment. The Overwatch League follows the model of other traditional North American professional sporting leagues by using a set of permanent, city-based teams backed by separate ownership groups. In addition, the league plays in the regular season and playoffs format rather than the use of promotion and relegation used commonly in other esports and non-North American leagues, with players on the roster being assured a minimum annual salary, benefits, and a portion of winnings and revenue-sharing based on how that team performs. The League was announced in 2016 with its inaugural season taking place in 2018, with a total prize pool of US$3.5 million given to teams that year.

2017 Overwatch World Cup 2017 Overwatch esports tournament

The 2017 Overwatch World Cup was an Overwatch esports tournament, organized by Blizzard Entertainment, the game's developer. It was the second Overwatch World Cup and featured 32 represented nations from around the world, with the final tournament taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center from November 3–4, 2017.

Dallas Fuel American professional esports team

Dallas Fuel is an American professional Overwatch team based in Dallas, Texas. The Fuel compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's Pacific West Division.

San Francisco Shock American professional esports team

San Francisco Shock is an American professional Overwatch esports team based in San Francisco, California. The Shock compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's Pacific West Division. They are currently the defending Overwatch League Grand Finals Champions.

Houston Outlaws American professional esports team

The Houston Outlaws are an American professional Overwatch esports team based in Houston, Texas. The Outlaws compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's Atlantic South Division.

London Spitfire British professional esports team

London Spitfire is a professional Overwatch team based in London, United Kingdom. The Spitfire compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's Atlantic North Division.

Philadelphia Fusion American professional esports team

Philadelphia Fusion is an American-based professional Overwatch esports team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Fusion compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's Atlantic South Division.

Overwatch World Cup annual international Overwatch esports tournament organized by Blizzard Entertainment

The Overwatch World Cup (OWWC) is an annual international Overwatch esports tournament organized by Blizzard Entertainment, the game's developer. The current format involves a preliminary stage in which any national is allowed to compete in. The top five countries from the preliminary stage move on to the group stages, along with five automatically qualified teams. Three teams from each group advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket at Blizzard's BlizzCon event every November. The first three World Cups were won by South Korea, while the most recent one was won by the United States.

xQc French-Canadian professional Overwatch player and Twitch streamer

Félix Lengyel, better known by his online alias xQc or xQcOW, is a French-Canadian Twitch streamer who played the main tank position for the Dallas Fuel in the Overwatch League for part of the inaugural season, before being released due to repeated controversy. He later joined Gladiators Legion, an Overwatch Contenders team affiliated with Overwatch League's Los Angeles Gladiators, as a substitute main tank. Lengyel has also played in the Overwatch World Cup as the main tank for Team Canada in 2017 and 2018. He now mostly plays a variety of games on Twitch. His main and longest streamed category on Twitch is "Just Chatting", nearly every stream includes it. While being in the "Just Chatting" category, he reacts to fan made content and videos, but not limited to. His reactions established its own series on his YouTube channel, called "xQc reacts".

Seagull (video game player) American video game streamer and retired professional Overwatch player

Brandon Larned, better known as Seagull, is an American video game streamer and retired professional Overwatch player. Early in the game's history, Larned established himself as one of the most popular Overwatch streamers on Twitch. As an esports competitor, Larned represented Luminosity Gaming and then NRG Esports, before leaving the active roster of the latter to resume streaming full time. He returned to competitive play with Team EnVyUs shortly before its roster became the Dallas Fuel, one of the teams in the newly launched Overwatch League. At the end of the League's inaugural season, Larned once again announced that he would be stepping away from competitive play in favor of being a full-time streamer.

2018 Overwatch World Cup 2018 Overwatch esports tournament

The 2018 Overwatch World Cup was an Overwatch esports tournament, organized by Blizzard Entertainment, the game's developer. It was the third Overwatch World Cup. It featured 24 represented nations from around the world, with the final tournament taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center during BlizzCon from November 2–3, 2018.

The 2018 Houston Outlaws season was the first season of the Houston Outlaws's existence in the Overwatch League. Outlaws qualified for the Stage 1 playoffs but fell to the London Spitfire in the semifinals. The team did not qualify finished with a regular season record of 22–18, missing the season playoffs.

The 2019 Houston Outlaws season was the second season of the Houston Outlaws's existence in the Overwatch League (OWL) and their second under head coach Tae-yeong Kim. After finishing 22–18 the previous season, the Outlaws were looking to improve on their record and qualify for the season playoffs for the first time.

ryujehong

Ryu Je-hong, better known by his online alias ryujehong, is a South Korean professional Overwatch player currently playing for the Vancouver Titans of the Overwatch League.

Daniel Francesca, better known by his online alias dafran, is a Danish Twitch video game streamer and former professional Overwatch player. As an esports competitor, Francesca represented Selfless Gaming before being suspended from competitive play. He returned to competitive play with Atlanta Reign, one of the expansion franchises for the 2019 Overwatch League season. At the end of the Stage 1 of the League's 2019 season, Francesca announced that he would be stepping away from competitive play in favor of being a full-time streamer for the Atlanta Reign. Francesca has also played in the Overwatch World Cup for Team Denmark in 2016.

The 2020 Houston Outlaws season is the third season of the Houston Outlaws's existence in the Overwatch League (OWL). The team will look to improve upon their 9–19 record from 2019 and qualify for their first season playoffs. The Outlaws will host two homestand weekends; both will be played at the Revention Music Center in Houston's downtown Theater District.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "PROfiles: Jacob "Jake" Lyon". YouTube. Akshon Esports. July 2, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Trautman, Ben; Harsha Bandi; Spencer Hibnick (March 31, 2017). "Episode 12: "Winston was the first hero I ever played"". Around the Watch. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  3. ↑ Robichaud, Andrew (March 8, 2017). "Luminosity acquires second Overwatch team". TSN . Bell Media. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Wolf, Jacob (October 27, 2017). "Sources: OpTic Gaming adds JAKE, finalizes Overwatch roster". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  5. ↑ Rodriguez, Veronika (April 21, 2018). "Report: Former Dallas Fuel Coach KyKy to Join Houston Outlaws as Assistant Coach". DBLTAP. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  6. ↑ Nash, Anthony (July 4, 2018). "Good, bad, and ugly from the Houston Outlaws regular season". Overwatch Wire. USA Today Sports. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  7. ↑ Grayson, Nathan (February 26, 2017). "I Used To Hate Junkrat, Until I Tried Playing As Him". Kotaku . Gizmodo Media Group. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  8. ↑ Elliott, Travis (January 19, 2018). "Houston douses Dallas to start Week 2, Day 2 of Overwatch League". ESPN . ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  9. ↑ Baker, Harry (April 2, 2018). "Jake talks min-maxing his Junkrat play and adjusting how Houston uses Tracer (Part 1)". Medium. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Kim, Susie (November 1, 2017). "Overwatch Team USA captain Jake Lyon predicts BlizzCon success". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Houston Outlaws' DPS Jake retires". ESPN. Reuters. December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  12. ↑ Marks, Tom (November 4, 2017). "BlizzCon 2017: USA vs Korea Made Me Believe In Overwatch Esports". IGN . Ziff Davis LLC. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  13. ↑ Vejnovic, Tatjana (June 6, 2018). "Jacob "JAKE" Lyon announces he will not be playing in the Overwatch World Cup". Overwatch Wire. USA Today Sports. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  14. ↑ Baker, Harry (August 14, 2018). "Talent confirmed for OWWC South Korea stage, JAKE to cast with ZP". Overwatch Wire. USA Today Sports. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Custa retires, will join Jake on OWL talent team". ESPN. Reuters. December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  16. ↑ Parkin, Simon (April 6, 2018). "E-sports are all the rage, but can competitive video gaming turn professional?". Financial Review. Fairfax Media . Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  17. ↑ Wong, Catherine (July 14, 2018). "Well Played: Pro gamers, devs meet with Olympic committee". Times-Standard . Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  18. ↑ Tahan, Chelsey (April 3, 2018). "WATCH: Rawkus and JAKE talk about Overwatch League with NBC's Megyn Kelly". Overwatch Wire. USA Today Sports. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  19. ↑ Lee, Josh (January 16, 2018). "Houston Outlaws' Jake on Mercy & Junkrat nerfs, Problems with 2CP, and what fans don't know about him". Blitz Esports. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.