Things are not looking great for Chinese Overwatch teams.
Following Miraculous Youngsters’ exit from Overwatch, Chinese esports organization 1246 has dropped its Overwatch roster. The organization has suspended its Overwatch program, according to a statement translated on Reddit.
Zhou “S1mpfall” Tigao, Qiu “Zod” Zengzhi, and Zhou “LanDo” Zilin will stay with 1246 in other esports, while Li “Billyo” Xinyu, Tang “Tian” Wei, and Li “samsara” Xiaping have retired.
Related: Shanghai Dragons reveals Overwatch League roster
Yang “BBcat” Jiawei has entered free agency in Overwatch. Liu “Xushu” Junjie—once known as Luca—signed to Overwatch League team Shanghai Dragons in October.
1246 once saw success in Overwatch, earning first place at the Overwatch Premier Series 2017 Spring tournament. The roster then placed second at the Overwatch Premier Series 2017 grand finals, falling to MY. During the APAC Premier 2017, the team’s most recent tournament, 1246 faced Afreeca Freecs in the quarterfinals, where they were ultimately bested 4-0 by the South Korean team.
With just one Chinese Overwatch roster in the Overwatch League, teams are likely facing uncertainty in the lead-up to Blizzard’s Overwatch Contenders China tournament. Blizzard announced the new tournament series in November, but details have been scarce since then. The new Contenders format is slated to begin in 2018.
H/T Reddit
