“There are no longer any more full-time observers for the COD League.”
Blizzard has laid off folks who worked in Overwatch esports and the Call of Duty League, according to posts made by former employees. Here's what is happening with the Overwatch esports layoffs and more.
Blizzard layoffs and Overwatch esports
On Jan. 30, former Overwatch 2 esports caster Soe Gschwind stated that she got laid off by Blizzard. She posted about the Blizzard layoffs on X, noting that she served the company for seven years. Gschwind added that she's saddened that her time was cut short.
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Blizzard's Overwatch esports layoffs
Another former employee who also worked on casting Overwatch 2 esports, Matt Morello, also got affected by the layoffs. On X, he stated that he was let go alongside a lot of other esports folks.
Similar to Gschwind, Morello recalled his time as caster. He also acknowledged the recently-announced Overwatch esports deal between Blizzard and ESL FACEIT Group (EFG). This refers to a multi-year agreement between the two parties and the arrival of the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS). Morello ended his post by remaining hopeful in terms of his involvement with the Overwatch 2 scene.
"Unfortunately today, along with a lot of other amazing esports folks, I’ve been let go from Blizzard," he wrote on X. "Casting Overwatch and working behind the scenes planning some of the best years we’ve had with Overwatch Esports and the upcoming year with the new OWCS was a dream come true."
Call of Duty League layoffs
According to former Call of Duty League employee Josh Lee, all of the full-time observers for the league got laid off as well. He expressed his thoughts on social media, stating that Call of Duty esports will never be the same again.
That's all for now. This story is still developing, but stick around on esports.gg for more news and updates across the gaming industry.
