Connect online with game and metaverse leaders at GamesBeat Summit: Into the Metaverse 3 this February 1-2. register here.
Philadelphia Fusion is rebranding to Seoul Infernal first Overwatch League sixth season. The group moved its operations to the South Korean capital during the pandemic and chose to stay instead of moving operations back to the US.
The team is owned and operated by Comcast Spectacor, which is deeply involved in Philadelphia’s sports community. In the game, the company was behind relaunch G4TV and co-owns T1 Esports with SK Square. T1 Esports won League of Legends World three times, becoming an elite brand in the field of e-sports.
By moving Philadelphia Fusion to South Korea, the team was able to share facilities, staff, and talent with T1. Seoul Infernal will retain its current listing and management through this transition. In early 2022, the group change of plans from $50 million, dedicated e-sports facility in South Philadelphia to a multi-use facility.
“As we prepared for next season, we assessed how we could best compete at a championship level, consistently, and we realized that our franchise would be positioned best for success in Seoul,” Dave Scott, president and CEO of Comcast Spectacor, in a statement.
Branding Hell Seoul
The Seoul Infernal brand is designed to reflect the culture and heritage of the team’s new home. The logo itself features Dokkaebi, a natural elf/god in Korean folklore. They are said to both trick and help humans.
The rebranding features a color shift from orange to red. This red represents Infernal’s desire to win and his burning passion for the game. While this red isn’t the same as T1, the sister teams now have a more similar color scheme.
Finally, Dokkaebi is equipped with the Royal Crown. This is intended to evoke the strength, glory and legacy of the organization.
While this may not be the main reason for the rebranding, T1 Esports is closely associated with Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. T1’s mid laner is often considered the best League of Legends player of all time and has been dubbed the “invincible demon king”.
Overwatch League Impact
The Overwatch League and its teams’ ambitious plans for a global, city-based structure have been complicated by the pandemic. The league was scheduled to start going around the world in 2020 but this has been derailed. the team starts relocation activities as a result of the pandemic and to achieve more of the Overwatch League active Chinese audience.
However, the Philadelphia Fusion/Seoul Infernal is the first team to rebrand in Overwatch League history.
The tournament is divided into two divisions: East and West. With teams on the move, the league may need to rebalance these divisions before the 2023 season.
The upcoming Overwatch League season is crucial to the project’s future. However, viewership has dropped since the inaugural season of 2018 2022 knockout go against the trend. Overwatch 2 is out contributed to the boost, but it’s unclear if this momentum will continue throughout the season.
Season six of the Overwatch League will begin in the spring of 2023.
GamesBeat’s Faith when covering the game industry as “where passion meets business.” What does that mean? We want to let you know how important the news is to you — not just as a decision maker at the game studio, but as a fan of the game. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy interacting with it. Explore our Briefings.
