Overwatch 2 team owner slams Blizzard & claims they wasted OW2’s esports potential

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The previous proprietor of the Toronto Defiant Overwatch 2 team explained his decision to stay away from the esports world for this particular game, asserting that Blizzard has been ineffective in managing the esports scene and squandered its promising opportunities.

On January 10, Toronto Defiant’s owner Adam Adamou sat down with Overwatch caster AVRL for a chat, where he explained the reasons behind the Toronto Defiant’s absence from the Overwatch World Championship Series.

In 2024, Toronto Defiant experienced an incredibly triumphant season, securing first place in four separate events and finishing third in the World Finals. However, despite the positive momentum, Adamou announced that Toronto Defiant will not participate in the 2025 competition.

Adamou explained multiple factors leading him not to rejoin Overwatch Esports, yet he seems to place a significant portion of the responsibility on what Adamou considers overly cautious behavior from Blizzard and Team 4. Despite his conviction that Overwatch could reach great heights in the eSports world, he feels this restraint hinders its growth potential.

Overwatch 2 team owner explains why he’s leaving OWCS

Toronto Defiant decided against joining the new Overwatch League Club Partnership Program that distributes income from in-game cosmetic items among participating teams. As explained by Adamou, these in-game cosmetics serve as a significant source of profit for eSports teams such as Toronto Defiant, while sponsorships primarily fund the overall club.

In 2025, it’s regrettable that Toronto Defiant won’t be back. One of the main causes, as explained by Adamou, was the team’s inability to offer sufficient value to their sponsors. Essentially, the benefits they provided for sponsorship deals were not up to par.

However, the primary cause stems from the perceived insufficiency of financial incentives, as Adamou feels that the Team Partner Program does not offer enough enticement for investment.

Adamou stated that both Riot Games and Activision, particularly with Call of Duty, have demonstrated a stronger readiness to pour resources into the ecosystem to ensure it’s profitable for teams and partners. He noted that Overwatch is progressing in this direction, but somewhat sluggishly. Furthermore, he expressed his belief that the teams are essentially covering the costs of the company’s hesitation or indecision.

Adamou thinks that if Overwatch receives additional funding, it has the potential to be recognized as a top-tier eSport alongside games such as League of Legends, Call of Duty, and Counter-Strike. However, he feels that Blizzard isn’t fully committed to making this happen.

We’re not convinced that these games have a large enough player community or publisher backing to enable development teams to earn enough money through microtransactions.

He mentioned that it’s Blizzard’s choice whether they aim to elevate Overwatch into a top-tier competitive game.

According to Adamou, it seems that Team Four appears hesitant. Being a part of a multi-trillion dollar corporation, they are moving cautiously, making modest moves instead of significant investments. Consequently, the responsibility is being shifted onto other teams.

Later, he emphasized that it’s the responsibility of the company to set the rules and make clear the potential income they could earn. Currently, there seems to be a need for greater clarity in the Team Partner Program regarding the exact revenue division between Blizzard and participating teams.

He expressed that it seems unclear if the total sum of $500,000 is being distributed among nine teams, and given that amount, each team would receive a relatively small share.

In order for the Toronto Defiant to make a comeback in 2026, Adamou expresses hope that Blizzard Entertainment might consider increasing investments in teams whose primary income comes from sponsorships.

He emphasized that the responsibility lies with those who choose to assume the risk. In other words, it’s not our job… It certainly isn’t within our remit to support multi-trillion dollar corporations financially.

Indeed, the revenue-sharing program represents a positive move forward, suggesting that Blizzard remains dedicated to the growth of esports. Moreover, the reintroduction of team skins demonstrates their continued interest in sustaining the competitive aspect of the game.

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2025-01-11 16:05