It has been claimed that the Chinese Overwatch League squad Chengdu Hunters has disbanded because its players have either moved on to play for another team or are now free agents. The OWL schedule that kicked off the new season did not include the group in question. According to The Esports Advocate, the Chengdu Hunters have disbanded because the players on the squad have either moved on to play for another team or are going to explore their options as free agents.
The departure of the Chinese squad from the Overwatch League was widely anticipated because the team’s organization was not slated to compete in any matches when the 2023 season of the league began. The company addressed the problem in a statement that was released on April 18, and it stated that it would provide additional information in the near future about the future of the franchise.
In the statement that was released before the beginning of the season, it was said that “ahead of our season start, we wanted to share with the community that the Chengdu Hunters are not included in today’s schedule announcement” since the Chengdu Hunters are “continuing to contemplate the future direction of their team.”
Overwatch League teams Chengdu Hunters are no longer a part of the competition
Since January, the franchise has been relatively absent from social media, with the exception of a single tweet on January 23 that read, “Goodbye and see you again.” On the same day, Overwatch 2 and all other products developed by Blizzard were taken offline in mainland China due to the fact that the developer’s distribution arrangement with its Chinese partner, NetEase, was not renewed.
Other Chinese franchises, such as the Hangzhou Spark and the Shanghai Dragons, have found a way around suspending operations and continue to compete in the league. Huang ‘Leave’ Xin and Zhou ‘Mmonk’ Xiang are two players on the Spark who were previously with the Chengdu Hunters but switched teams over the offseason. The Hunters are managed by the esports organization Royal Never Give Up until 2020. The Hunters are currently owned and controlled by the Chinese streaming platform Huya. The Overwatch League’s current season, known as the Spring Stage, is now underway.
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