The Overwatch League (OWL) or the esports league for the Overwatch/Overwatch 2 game is about to be shut down permanently due to various problems, especially from Blizzard as the organizer. What's really going on? 

Amidst of the last days of the Activision Blizzard acquisition deal by Microsoft, the Overwatch League, which is the only official Overwatch esports league, is experiencing a fate that is adrift, and is even rumored to be stopped for good.

The assumption that the Overwatch League will be closed stems from Activision Blizzard's decision to lay off workers in their esports division. Reporting from The Verge, one former employee from the division claimed that this layoff notice came suddenly. 

In addition, Activision Blizzard allegedly owes around 400 million USD in franchise fees to hold Overwatch and Call of Duty leagues after they delayed payments due to difficult finances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The investment failed as the popularity of OWL continued to decline year after year. Although Blizzard made the "strange" move of waiving the OWL franchise fee for teams that wanted to participate in the league, the profit Blizzard made from the OWL didn't see any change.

However, Sean Miller as Overwatch League Commissioner emphasized Blizzard's commitment to Overwatch esports, no matter how the vote for the franchise turns out. 

Unfortunately, Miller's optimism was not accompanied by clarity regarding what OWL 2024 will look like. He was also unable to share what the commitment to Overwatch esports players would look like in the post-OWL future.

Miller's statement is also not in line with the reality of Blizzard's esports division. One of the employees who received a sudden layoff letter said that Blizzard is discontinuing some of the tools used to run their esports tournaments, including the OWL. 

Looking at the problems that occur, it can be concluded that Microsoft holds the key to determining the future of Overwatch esports. Let's see what decisions Microsoft makes after legally acquiring Activision Blizzard.

Can the Overwatch League rise amidst the downturn that continues to befall it?