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Following the announcement that the Overwatch League was moving to YouTube last week, fans started asking about initiatives that the league previously took to give viewers emotes and in-game drops. But last night, OWL commissioner Pete Vlastelica said the company is looking for ways to give back to loyal fans.
While no plans have been officially announced regarding the implementation of rewards for fans who watch this season on YouTube, Vlastelica attempted to reassure fans that the league is pursuing efforts to give them what they want—more loot.
“We’ve heard your questions about how drops might work on YouTube,” Vlastelica said. “It’s important for fans to know that we’re exploring ways to offer rewards for watching our broadcasts on YouTube in the future.”
Activision Blizzard revealed its plans to move esports streaming broadcasts to YouTube last week for the newly-franchised Call of Duty League and the Overwatch League. In typical fan fashion, many were left wondering how the company would implement things like in-game drops and emotes for viewers on a different streaming platform.
In the past, the Overwatch League had numerous activations for viewers including in-game skins that could be earned by cheering on the channel with enough “bits,” Twitch’s platform currency that viewers can purchase for money or earn from watching ads.
The league has also rewarded OWL tokens on Twitch at the end of matches to select random viewers. Those tokens could be used as an in-game currency to unlock special skins that pros use during the OWL season. The league added special skins for events like its all-star week, too.
Additionally, OWL’s special All-Access Pass that was made available for fans as a premium subscription-based viewing option allowed fans to effectively purchase OWL emotes and badges for use on Twitch while also rewarding extra in-game content.
For now, though, fans will have to wait for Blizzard to figure out a way to offer rewards for watching the Overwatch League on YouTube. The 2020 Overwatch League season kicks off on Feb. 8.
