The London Spitfire emerged the champions of the inaugural season of the Overwatch League today, handily defeating the Philadelphia Fusion at the sold-out Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The Spitfire needed just two sets to send the Fusion packing, leaving a third set of games scheduled for Saturday evening unnecessary. The London team aggressively shut down the Philadelphia team on Friday night in the first set with a score of 3-1. During a press conference after Friday night’s win, the Spitfire appeared calm and confident (and at times, pretty cocky). The Fusion, on the other hand, looked already defeated. The team rarely spoke during a Q&A session with press, leaving Fusion head coach Yann “Kirby” Luu to serve as mouthpiece for the rest of the team.
On Saturday, the Spitfire again steamrolled the Fusion, finishing the second set of the Overwatch League finals with a score of 3-0. While fan-favorite Fusion players like Josue “Eqo” Corona and Jae-Hyeok “Carpe” Lee pulled off spectacular plays for their six-man squad, they were no match for the team-play of the Spitfire.
The Spitfire’s bounty was a $1 million grand prize, and the honor of being the first team to take home the Overwatch League’s championship trophy, a hefty silver sculpture that evokes the spired helmet of Overwatch tank Reinhardt.
After their win, Spitfire DPS player Jun-Young “Profit” Park called his feelings about the win “indescribable.” He was awarded the finals’ MVP award, a vortex of black metal that, when he held it aloft, appeared too heavy for his slight frame. Later, at a press conference, Profit’s team seemed to take the win in stride.
“I didn’t think it would be this easy,” Spitfire support player Seung-Tae “Bdosin” Choi said through the team’s translator. “Next year I hope we play against a stronger team.”
The Spitfire, like the Fusion, had a bumpy season. After strong showings in the Overwatch League’s first two stages, the Spitfire failed to place in the top three in stages three and four. The team was in fifth place, with a 24-16 record, when regular season play came to an end. But the team stomped the LA Valiant during the playoffs, joining the Fusion — who had conquered the New York Excelsior during the playoffs — for an unexpected matchup at the Grand Finals.
Fans at the Barclays Center seemed to favor the Fusion over the Spitfire. The Philadelphia team was met with loud cheers when presenter Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez introduced the Fusion. Down on the floor, those same fans delivered boos when the Spitfire took the stage. Philadelphia fans banged inflated thundersticks and screamed their support during the Fusion’s biggest plays, loudest when trying to rally the team, which was often fighting back on its heels against the more aggressive, more dominant Spitfire.
But many attendees came to the Overwatch League grand finals more as fans of Blizzard’s game and its star players than any particular team. Attendees lined up to take photos with pros like Diya from the Shanghai Dragons and Rawkus from the Houston Outlaws. They wore the jerseys of the home team, the New York Excelsior, purchased from a pop-up shop a few blocks away. They chanted “Jeff! Jeff! Jeff! Jeff!” to the beat of a techno track played by the house DJ when Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan made a brief appearance on Friday. Normally, the most recognizable face of Overwatch has an air of languid enthusiasm when talking about the game he oversees, but amid the amped up crowd at Barclays, even Kaplan was pumping his fists skyward, energized by the more than 18,000 adoring fans in attendance.
When the grand finals’ headlining musical act, DJ Khaled, took the stage on Saturday afternoon, however, fans seemed far less impressed. Khaled tried to pump up the crowd, shouting his own name and requesting that hands be in the air numerous times, which the crowd occasionally obliged. But when Khaled demanded the arena sing along to Migos or Drake, the crowd was awkwardly silent, seemingly uninterested in taking part in the DJ’s call and response requests. They had paid to see high-level Overwatch, not to listen to cuts of ‘90s and early ‘00s hip-hop.
The Overwatch League grand finals clearly left fans wanting more. The championships were full of spectacular plays from both the Fusion and the Spitfire, but the latter won through astounding tenacity and consistency, and it all seemed over too soon. Even the commentary team expressed a desire to see the finals not come to an end so quickly. For the all-Korean Spitfire, they seemed more excited to have their day wrap up early so they could enjoy a steak dinner on team owner Jack Etienne’s dime — and finally go home to their friends and families.
Fans and players will likely see a very different Overwatch League next year, as the organization has plans to expand in anticipation of season two. With additional city-based teams expected to join the league in Asia and Europe, Overwatch fans will have a new group of superstar players to fawn over. The Spitfire’s Bdosin may even get his wish, as stronger, smarter, more savvy players join the league, hoping to give this year’s champions someone to contend with.
Correction: The original version of this post said that the London Spitfire had defeated the LA Gladiators and NY Excelsior during the playoffs. The Spitfire faced the LA Valiant during the playoffs, while the Spitfire faced the Excelsior during the playoffs. Those details have been updated.