Overwatch League New York franchise owner Sterling.VC is reportedly in the process of acquiring South Korean Overwatch team LW Blue, according to an ESPN report.
Though LW Blue has not been named champion of any major tournament, they’re consistently regarded as one of the best teams in Overwatch. They field some of the best players, two of which are participating as part of the dominating South Korean Overwatch World Cup team. Renowned LW Blue DPS Hwang “Fl0w3R” Yeon-oh, however, is unable to participate in Overwatch League due to age restrictions.
Should the deal go through, LW Blue would move to Los Angeles for the first season of Overwatch League, which is expected to begin later this year. In the years to come the team will relocate to New York City, which will operate as their home base once the league moves forward with its city-based structure.
Related: LW Blue drop out of OGN Overwatch Apex season four, reportedly to join Overwatch League
Sterling.VC and its parent company Sterling Equities, which is owned by New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon, acquired the Overwatch League slot for $20 million, alongside other non-endemic owners, like New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Kraft has yet to sign an Overwatch team, but Kabam co-founder and Seoul Overwatch League slot holder Kevin Chou has. And he’s taken a similar approach as Sterling.VC, signing two-time OGN Overwatch Apex champions Lunatic-Hai.
Lunatic-Hai’s pickup was announced before LW Blue’s, but ESPN reported the LW Blue deal has been in negotiations for weeks. Former Blizzard employee Scott Tester will oversee the team’s operations.
LW Blue dropped out of Overwatch Apex on Monday ahead of its first match. It was reported then by South Korean news website FOMOS that LW Blue would instead participate in Overwatch League, though the team that acquired the roster was unknown at the time.
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