London Spitfire Claims First ‘Overwatch’ League Championship, Bon Jovi There to See It Happen

By Liz Lanier

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The Overwatch League’s first championship title was taken by the London Spitfire on Saturday.

The UK team beat out the Philadelphia Fusion in the League Grand Finals, held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with the final score at 3-0. The London Spitfire clearly dominated the competition, as the winner was chosen based on a best-of-three series, meaning that the winner was whichever team could first win two best-of-five matches.

Over 22,000 attendees were at the two-day event, which featured musical acts from DJ Khaled, DJ Mick, and DJ Envy . A few celebrities also made appearances, including Jon Bon Jovi and D’Angelo Russell of the Brooklyn Nets

“Overwatch” fans from all over were able to watch the London Spitfire’s triumph as the Grand Finals matches were broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN 2, Disney XD , and streamed on Twitch. The event also marked a significant milestone for esports, as the finals were aired during primetime tv slots.

The Finals were held at the culmination of the 40-match regular season, which started back in January. Six teams were chosen from the playoffs held at the Blizzard Arena in Los Angeles. The London Spitfire and the Philadelphia Fusion entered the playoffs as the No. 5 seed and No. 6 seed, respectively. So it would seem both teams have come far since the regular season.

The London Spitfire scored a $1 million dollar prize for the championship title, while the Philadelphia Fusion earned a $400,000 dollar second prize.