March 31, 2021
The Oakland University Esports team has announced the addition of Overwatch to the list of games the Golden Grizzlies will compete in, beginning in fall 2021.
Oakland currently competes in League of Legends, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros.
"We are very excited to add Overwatch to our Esports program," Head Coach Carl Leone said. "It includes many aspects that we look for in a competitive title. To be successful, a team needs to focus on teamwork, communication, strategy, decision making, and accuracy in time sensitive and high pressure situations. We are looking for 8 very talented players to join our inaugural team. We expect to be nationally competitive in our first season."
Released in 2015, Overwatch features six-on-six gameplay and is a team-based "Hero Shooter" it's rated as suitable for those 13 and older. During play, teams work together to complete map-specific objectives within a limited period of time.
Overwatch is a collegiate esports staple because of its team-oriented gameplay and teen-friendly age rating. There is established recruiting support and competitions for the title. Overwatch is the third most popular collegiate esports title with 79% of programs competing in the title. League of Legends and Rocket League are first and second respectively.
With the addition of Overwatch, Oakland will add eight student-athletes to its roster, while also tallying additional players in League of Legends (3), Rocket League (2) and Super Smash Bros. (1) totaling 14 more student-athletes.
There are 40 million Overwatch players worldwide, with the average age of Overwatch players being 22. The 2020 Overwatch League finals had over 1.3 million hours watched and over 183,000 peak viewers.
Tryouts for Overwatch will take place April 23-24, those interested in tryouts should fill out this form.
For more information about the Esports program please contact Esports Head Coach, Carl Leone at [email protected] or by Discord: Coach Leone#8401