Blizzard’s major esports pivot will be put to the test this weekend

Overwatch's head of esports spoke to Game File about the early promise of the company's new approach, but had less to say about two highly relevant players: Microsoft and Saudi Arabia.

Overwatch 2. Screenshot: Blizzard, Microsoft

This weekend’s big Overwatch 2 tournament in Dallas, Texas wasn’t the original plan several years ago, when the elite game-maker Blizzard Entertainment launched the franchise’s foray into competitive gaming.

The eight-team competition in Texas is new, different and part of a possibly superior strategy compared to the headline-grabbing Overwatch League that shut down last year.

It also raises questions: About the best way to run an esports program, the appeal of the multiplayer shooter Overwatch 2 and the role of two of the richest entities on the planet—Microsoft and Saudi Arabia—in competitive gaming.

I recently spoke to Blizzard’s head of Overwatch esports, Sean Miller, about some of that. Some topics, it turns out, are more sensitive than others.