Earlier in 2018, it was announced that Overwatch League would expand with eight more teams joining the ranks: Atlanta, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Paris, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, D.C. Now, Hangzhou officially has some branding to go with the new team. Welcome the Hangzhou Spark to Overwatch League by taking a closer look at their logo and playful pink color scheme.
As bilibili Esports explained, the bold color choice is meant to reflect the vibrancy of Hangzhou, a fast-growing city in China that’s becoming an international destination. The logo depicts a spark coming from a hand. Both the name and logo are meant to “symbolize extreme speed and power, and also represent the electric nature and creative spark of the bilibili brand.”
The Hangzhou Spark team is owned by bilibili entertainment. Chief Operating Officer Ruin Chen thinks Overwatch League will be embraced by the existing bilibili entertainment community. Chen hopes that the community’s “deep affinity for esports” will help foster connections with and interest in Overwatch.
Additionally, Hangzhou Spark is affiliated with the newly established bilibili Esports Company. President Chen Youyou has a storied history managing and operating esports teams and has been invested in Overwatch since the game was in open-beta testing. She spoke optimistically of the new branding and the upcoming season, stating
We’ve staffed the team with world-class players and coaches. We’re confident in how the team will perform and we’re excited to see them in action when the 2019 season starts. We also hope fans will continue to create and discover more thrilling content on the bilibili platform, as well as interact with fellow Overwatch gamers in the bilibili community.
The team will start competing when the season starts February 2019.
[Source: Press Release]
Hangzhou Spark Branding Nov 2018
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