Blizzard denies OWL season five delay to wait for Overwatch 2

Activision Blizzard has issued a denial of the GGRecon report that the Overwatch League would be taking a year-long hiatus. Esports.gg was sent the following statement, which was also issued on Twitter.

"It's really not practical to respond to every rumor about our future plans, but in this case this story is inaccurate," Overwatch League VP Jon Spector said in a statement. "We have not set nor communicated dates about our 2022 season yet but do not plan to take a 'year-long hiatus' in any scenario we are considering currently."

The report from GGRecon's Yiska this morning stated that Activision Blizzard, already rocked by scandal due to the lawsuit from the DEFH around "frat culture" at the company, has decided to push back the next Overwatch League season in order to better align with the release of Overwatch 2. Instead of beginning near the beginning of the year, the report stated that the League may push its start date as late as the fall of 2022. This follows news that the Overwatch League has lost about half of its sponsors, fueling speculation about the future of the league.

While that game has not received an official release date, fans have been eagerly anticipating the release of the game. Among the big changes Overwatch 2 is setting forth, moving from 6v6 to 5v5 was already causing waves in the professional scene, with many teams evaluating their options for next season. According to the GGRecon report, there is now a question among teams as to whether they will retain their rosters with the hiatus, instead opting to start from scratch next season.

With the denial of the report out there, it remains unclear exactly what Blizzard's plans are for Overwatch League next season, but they will likely be announced following the conclusion of this season.

Esports.gg has reached out to Activision Blizzard to see if there are any additional details they can offer and will update if and when we hear back.