London Spitfire off to a flyer in Overwatch League
Wednesday 17 January 2018 11:13, UK
The first weekend of the inaugural season of Blizzard's Overwatch League is done and dusted, and London Spitfire head into week two with a perfect record.
The team representing London came into the tournament regarded as one of the best in the world.
Cloud9, the esports organisation which owns the London franchise slot, opted for a full Korean roster. The roster is a combination of the two teams that dominated the Korean scene prior to the Overwatch League's inception in GC Busan and Team KongDoo Panthera.
South Korea has a rich history of dominance in the esports world - from Starcraft II to League of Legends - and Overwatch looks to be another title which it will dominate.
The first glimpse of London Spitfire saw them face Florida Mayhem, a game which they were expected to win. Despite being heavy favourites, the team floundered to defeat in the first map before stepping up a gear and eventually sweeping their opponents aside on the way to a 3-1 victory.
Man of the match went to Kim "birdring" Ji-hyuk whose Widowmaker play was a constant thorn in the Mayhem side.
Just a few days later and the Spitfire returned to the stage against a Philadelphia Fusion outfit that looked dominant in victory over the Houston Outlaws, but they did not stand a chance.
The Spitfire were in convincing form, failing to drop a point to Fusion after the first map. Again birdring was excellent, but Jae-Hui "Gesture" Hong took home the MVP award with his Winston looking particularly menacing.
Robert Kraft, owner of the MLS outfit New England Revolution and current NFL champions the New England Patriots, is a notable investor to the, as of yet, unproven league.
Kraft owns the Boston Uprising, while Stan Kroenke has added the Los Angeles Gladiators to an ever-growing list of sports clubs under his ownership. Shaquille O'Neal, Marshawn Lynch and Jennifer Lopez are among the standout names invested in the San Francisco Shock.
The other three are Seoul Dynasty (South Korea), Shanghai Dragons (China) and London Spitfire (United Kingdom)
It is safe to say the esports world was not sure what to expect. The game titles that have grown to become the biggest esports in the world currently came from the community's desire to play them competitively. As a result, a scene began to manifest itself and from there it grew to what it has done today.
Gaming giant Blizzard, however, has stuck to its principles outlined when it announced the league back in November 2016. Doubts over whether sufficient investment would be secured, and whether the esport would attract the viewing figures seem all but gone following a blockbuster opening weekend.
With the first season being played exclusively from Blizzard's Los Angeles-based arena, it is tough for European fans to connect with a team. The London Spitfire are the only European-based franchise, yet they are owned by an American organisation and the entire roster is Korean.
The team are making a conscious effort to capture local fans but it may not be until the Overwatch League moves past the first season and teams start to host games in their cities that the true rewards are reaped.
