Thousands packed a sold out arena in Philadelphia Sunday to watch the number-one-ranked Vancouver Titans and the San Francisco Shock battle in the Overwatch League Grand Final.
Millions more tuned in around the world, and here in Vancouver, hundreds lined up outside Sports Bar Live at Rogers Arena to snag a good seat at the team’s official watch party.
“Because I play it myself, I understand what I’m looking at so I get super into it,” said fan Lauren Waterman describing her love of e-sports. “The same way that my sister knows all these hockey players, I know all of these Overwatch players.”
The ownership group of the Vancouver Canucks is behind the Titans, who compete in the 20-team Overwatch League against rivals from Asia, North America and Europe.
“I just thought it was fantastic and I thought it could bring something fresh to Vancouver and something that young people could really enjoy,” said team owner Francesco Aquilini.
This season all of the team’s players came from South Korea – and they finished with a league-best 25 wins, accumulating a huge following in Vancouver along the way.
“I may not fit the demographic that I think many people would think video games attract, but I’ve grown up from the days of Nintendo, Super Mario – heck, I even played Atari,” said Christopher Golden, who runs a podcast called Ready Set Pwn that’s all about the Titans. “For me, Overwatch is a game that’s accessible regardless of whatever age you happen to be.”
Titans fans had some things to cheer about early in Sunday’s match, but before long the Shock took over, sweeping to a 4-0 victory.
The team played all of its games in the United States this season, but starting next year, they’ll host some matches at Rogers Arena.
