Overwatch’s most popular player could make his return to competitive Overwatch during this weekend’s North American tournament.
Brandon “Seagull” Larned was announced as part of of Team Envy’s Overwatch League team on Sept. 23. It was initially assumed Seagull would step into his position come Overwatch League, but now he’s been listed as a substitute player for Overwatch Contenders.
Envy currently sits in first place after the Overwatch Contenders regular season with a 7-0 record. The roster certainly doesn’t need a substitute player given their consistency, but it’d be a big draw for viewers to see Seagull’s return.
As one of the most popular players in Overwatch, Seagull has stuck to streaming since his failure to qualify for Overwatch Contenders with Kelvin and the Chipmunks in June. Seagull’s last major tournament with NRG Esports was MLG Vegas in December 2016.
Related: Seagull: Choosing an Overwatch League team “was probably one of the hardest decisions in my life”
A return to competitive Overwatch in Overwatch Contenders come Oct. 7, when the tournament begins, will be huge for the tournament itself.
Envy reportedly submitted the changed roster before the tournament’s roster lock, according to an FNRGFE coach. Blizzard reportedly failed to update the website or notify teams in advance, however.
“Seagull not being listed on Envy’s Contenders roster until today, over a full week after roster lock, is a huge letdown by Blizzard,” the coach wrote on Twitter. “It’s not Envy’s fault. They submitted the change before roster lock. We will be prepped and ready for whoever they play with. I just wish that Blizzard would have informed us of the roster change when it was made instead of us finding out two days before we fly out.”
Envy is scheduled to play FNRGFE in the Overwatch Contenders semifinals on Oct. 7. The team that prevails will move on to the tournament’s North American finals.
