The Overwatch League (OWL) was a professional esports league for the video game Overwatch, produced by its developer, Blizzard Entertainment. From 2018 to 2023, the Overwatch League followed the model of other traditional North American professional sporting leagues by using a set of permanent, city-based teams backed by separate ownership groups. The league used the regular season and playoffs format rather than 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 team performance.
NYXL is a collective esports and gaming organization based in New York. Launched under the name Andbox in 2019 by Sterling.VC, an investment fund backed by Sterling Equities, to operate esports franchises New York Excelsior and New York Subliners, it was the first esports organization in New York to span multiple franchises. The organization established two more esports teams by 2021, and in March 2022, it rebranded as NYXL.
Toronto Defiant is a Canadian professional Overwatch esports team based in Toronto which currently participates in the Overwatch Champions Series. Founded in 2018 as an expansion team for the Overwatch League (OWL), Toronto began play in 2019 and was one of two OWL teams based in Canada. The team is owned by OverActive Media, who also owned the Montreal Rebellion, a former academy team for the Defiant that competed in Overwatch Contenders (OWC). As of June 27, 2024, the Defiant play as the Toronto Ultra, the name of OverActive Media's Call of Duty League team.
The 2019 Toronto Defiant season was the first season of Toronto Defiant's existence in the Overwatch League as one of eight expansion franchises added for the 2019 season. After posting a 5–2 record in Stage 1, the Defiant qualified for the Stage 1 Playoffs, but a 0–3 loss against the Shock eliminated the team in the quarterfinals. The team failed to recreate the success they found in Stage 1 in the following stages, going 2–5, 0–7, and 1–6 in Stages 2, 3, and 4, respectively. A 2–3 loss to the Fusion on August 4 officially eliminated Toronto from postseason contention, and three days later, the team released head coach Lee "Bishop" Beom-joon. Despite numerous roster changes throughout the season, the Defiant finished the season in 17th place overall with an 8–20 record.
Montreal Rebellion was a Canadian esports team for the video game Overwatch competing in Overwatch Contenders (OWC) and an academy team for the Toronto Defiant of the Overwatch League (OWL). The team was owned by OverActive Media, based in Montreal, Quebec, and played in the North America region of OWC.
The 2020 Toronto Defiant season was the second season of Toronto Defiant's existence in the Overwatch League. The Defiant were scheduled to host two homestand weekends in the 2020 season at Roy Thomson Hall in the Toronto Entertainment District, but both were cancelled in light of the COVID-19 pandemic as the league transitioned to online play. The team ended the season with a 7 wins, 1 bonus win, and 14 losses. The Defiant and were knocked out of postseason contention by the Los Angeles Gladiators in the North American Play-ins bracket.
OverActive Media (OAM), previously known as The Ledger Group, is a esports and entertainment company that fields teams across multiple esports titles through its subsidiaries, including the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League. They also own esports organization MAD Lions, KOI, and Movistar Riders that compete in League of Legends as part of the League of Legends European Championship and Valorant in the Valorant Champions Tour EMEA.
Cloud9 New York are an American professional Call of Duty League (CDL) esports team based in New York City, New York. The team is operated by Cloud9, an esports organization owned by Jack Etienne. The team were formerly known as the New York Subliners (NYSL), owned by Sterling Equities subsidiary Sterling.VC. New York was announced as one of the first five cities to own a spot in the CDL.
OpTic Texas is an American professional Call of Duty League (CDL) esports team based in Dallas, Texas. OpTic Texas is owned by OpTic Gaming. Dallas was announced as one of the first five cities to host a CDL team.
The Call of Duty League (CDL) is a professional esports league for the video game series Call of Duty, produced by its publisher Activision. The Call of Duty League follows the model of the Overwatch League as well as 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 a tournament point system 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 2019 with its inaugural season starting in 2020.
The Atlanta FaZe is an American professional Call of Duty League (CDL) esports team based in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta FaZe is a partnership between FaZe Clan and Atlanta Esports Ventures. Atlanta was announced as one of the first five cities to host a CDL team.
Vancouver Surge is a professional Call of Duty League (CDL) team located in Vancouver, Canada. Representing the Luminosity Gaming esports organization, the Surge are owned and operated by Enthusiast Gaming and Canucks Sports & Entertainment.
Minnesota Rokkr is an American professional Call of Duty League (CDL) esports team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. RØKKR is owned by G2 Esports, a European esports organization, who merged with Version1, in December 2023.
Ibai Llanos Garatea, better known mononymously as Ibai, is a Spanish internet celebrity, streamer, and esports commentator. He was a content creator for G2 Esports from 2020 to 2021. He is the co-founder of the esports organisation KOI.
The 2021 Call of Duty League season was the second season for the Call of Duty League, an esports league based on the video game franchise Call of Duty.
The 2022 Call of Duty League season was the third season for the Call of Duty League, an esports league based on the video game franchise Call of Duty.
The 2023 Call of Duty League season was the fourth season of the Call of Duty League, an esports league based on the video game franchise Call of Duty.
The 2023 Overwatch League season was the sixth season of the Overwatch League (OWL), a professional esports league for the video game Overwatch 2. The teams were split between two regions: the East and the West. The season commenced with a preseason pro-am tournament held in the West Region, where Overwatch Contenders teams competed against Overwatch League teams. In the East Region, Overwatch Contenders teams joined the regular season alongside the established Overwatch League teams. The regular season was divided into two stages: Spring and Summer. The Spring stage, which began on April 27, concluded with the Midseason Madness, an interregional midseason tournament hosted in Seoul, South Korea. The Summer stage concluded with play-ins, season playoffs, and the Grand Finals. The playoffs were scheduled to take place at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Canada.
The 2024 Call of Duty League season is the fifth season of the Call of Duty League, an esports league based on the video game franchise Call of Duty.
The 2024 Esports World Cup (EWC) is the first edition of the Esports World Cup, an annual international esports tournament series replacing the Gamers8 festival, run by the Esports World Cup Foundation, funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The event will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 3 to August 25, 2024, and will feature 23 events in 22 different video game titles. It will have the largest combined prize pool in esports history at over US$60 million, encompassing individual tournament prize pools, rewards for teams that qualify to EWC events, most valuable player awards, and the Club Championship, a cross-game competition that aggregates the individual game results of all participating organizations to crown a Club Champion.
