Today, the Overwatch League announced changes to the way fans can watch its streams.
Last season, the Overwatch League drastically changed its viewership options switching platforms from Twitch to YouTube. The move was unpopular with fans as YouTube lacked many features that made Twitch viewership unique and engaging.
On Twitch, you could earn tokens for time spent watching live games to spend on Overwatch League skins and sprays in-game. The League’s channel also had a premium subscription package that gave players access to the Command Center— a tool that allowed fans to customize their view of the game.
Today’s changes seem to bring a bit of those same Twitch perks to YouTube.
“You’ll be able to watch live matches and earn rewards directly on the Overwatch League YouTube channel as well as on overwatchleague.com and the Overwatch League mobile app,” the Overwatch League announced on its website.
Midway through last season, the Overwatch League somewhat restored the ability to earn tokens. But to do so, fans had to bypass YouTube, the primary platform, and watch matches directly on overwatchleague.com or in the League’s mobile app. Now, after connecting your YouTube and Blizzard accounts, you can earn tokens the old-fashioned way.
4K resolution is also coming to OWL matches, as are player facecams and the ability to create clips. Clips for YouTube have been announced but are still in testing and only available to a select few channels that now include the Overwatch League.
“All Overwatch League matches—live and on-demand—on our YouTube channel will feature clip functionality that allows you to clip and share your favorite moments for up to 60 seconds of video,” said the announcement.
Clips were the primary way to share game highlights and were all but obliterated when the League jumped platforms. Having that functionality back will be a huge plus for fans (I know it is for me.)
The Overwatch League starts April 16, but you can get a head start on earning tokens by watching The Experimental Card Tournament starting March 26.