New team leaves the Overwatch competitive scene and questions arise

Despite announcing just recently a new Overwatch league, Activision Blizzard is yet to gain the trust of teams wanting to invest in Overwatch‘s competitive future as more and more teams join the list of withdrawal.

The list has grown by yet another today. Rise Nation is “taking a leave of absence” from Overwatch, the organization announced today. Despite the roster’s most recent best finish at fourth place in CyberPower‘s Extreme Gaming Invitational, the decision was made to break ties with players without an official reason for that. However, Rise co-owner Kahreem Horsley told ESPN that the uncertainty around the Overwatch League was the main justification, which lines up with what other teams seem to be worrying about.

“As it stands today, we do not have any plans on creating a new roster and thus will be taking a leave of absence from the Overwatch scene,” the statement said. “We would like to thank Activision, Blizzard, and the entire Overwatch community for their support and hospitality throughout our tenure. Although we are leaving, for now, we would welcome the opportunity to return to the scene at a future time.”

Rise now joins the likes of TSM, Team Dignitas, Splyce, compLexity, Denial, and Red Reserve as esports organizations that have let go of their Overwatch teams in recent months. Will Activision speaks out in order to fix what it’s doing to Overwatch’s scene or will we see investments from only the richest of organizations at Overwatch League? We’ll have to wait to find out.