Activision Blizzard has reportedly sold an Overwatch League expansion spot for Atlanta, Georgia to Cox Enterprises.
The Overwatch League finals for the inaugural season are currently ongoing in Brooklyn, New York with sources telling ESPN that representatives of Cox have been in attendance participating in owner meetings.
Cox Enterprises is based in Atlanta with a net worth of over $41b (£35.1b) in 2016. Subsidiaries under the Cox brand include broadband communications and entertainment company Cox Communications, Cox Media Group which operates broadcast television, radio and newspapers, and Cox Automotive which operates Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book.
The city of Atlanta has become a growing area for esports in the Southeastern region of the United States with the growth of Turner Broadcasting investments in esports like the production of ELEAGUE which hosted a $100,000 Overwatch Open in 2016 ahead of the OWL announcements. Last year DreamHack debuted the inaugural gaming festival in the United States with Atlanta as one of the stops and will return for a second iteration in November.
Buy-ins to the inaugural season were said to have sold for $20m (£17.1m) with the second season expansion spots costing upwards of $60m(£45.8m). Earlier this week there were also reports that two new expansions for season two were in the works to be sold for Paris, France and Guangzhou, China.
In the inaugural season, the OWL consisted of nine teams based in the United States, two in Asia and one in Europe with most owned and operated by American companies or investors. Blizzard have stated in the past that they will look to fill six expansion slots and will be looking more outside of the United States.
Esports Insider says: Atlanta is certainly one of the most perfect cities in the country for a new team, as we predicted about a year ago. A top area for entertainment and a growing area for esports in the Southeast of the United States, Atlanta will surely welcome the OWL with open arms come next year.