Activision hires Dome Productions to handle Overwatch League

The Overwatch League has partnered with Dome Productions to produce and broadcast the league’s fifth season, according to industry sources. While the OWL has not shared details about where regular league matches and tournaments will be played, hosts and analysts will operate from a remote location in Irvine, Calif., for some events. With this news, Activision Blizzard (which Microsoft is in the process of acquiring for $67.8 billion) has now outsourced production on every esports title it supports, except World of Warcraft.

Dome joins other esports production companies such as ESL (Starcraft II, Warcraft III, Hearthstone), Esports Engine (Call of Duty League, Halo Championship Series) and Heroes of the Storm (various providers) as a third-party operator who has agreements with Activision Blizzard or one of its subsidiaries. ESL, along with competitive gaming platform Faceit, is in the process of being acquired by the Savvy Gaming Group, and they’ll be later merged into the ESL Faceit Group.

Founded in 1989, Dome is a Toronto-based production and production facilities provider. It’s worked with companies such as ESPN, TSN, SNY and Google. The company does have previous esports experience, working with Take-Two Interactive and its NBA 2K League.

The OWL, slated to start on May 5 with its Kickoff Clash, has yet to send out any details regarding locations and times for its matches and events due to the COVID-19 pandemic audience landscape. However, insiders tell SBJ that the league will welcome back live audiences at various venues, including the home playing facilities of the league’s 20 teams.