
Overwatch League Finds its Voice with TeamSpeak Partnership
| Tags: Overwatch
| Author David Hollingsworth

The Overwatch League has partnered with TeamSpeak in a new three-year deal starting in the 2020 season.
The deal will see the league integrate TeamSpeak into its system to facilitate all in-game communications.
Ian Bamford, CEO of TeamSpeak discussed the partnership in a release: “Being selected as the official voice supplier for the Overwatch League is a significant step in the growth and global adoption of our superior voice technology. We’re thrilled to set the new de facto standard for in-game communications, powering thousands of professional teams and aspiring pros the world over.”
TeamSpeak will also be involved in global marketing initiatives at Overwatch League events throughout the season. One such activation will see fans able to win tickets to events and branded prizes.
Pete Emminger, Vice President of Global Broadcast at Blizzard Entertainment also commented:
“In-game communication is crucial, especially at the professional level where the stakes are high and latency, performance, and quick interaction can make or break a team’s ability to win. As Overwatch League teams get set to host matches in their home markets around the world starting in February, having TeamSpeak as the official voice supplier for all Overwatch League matches will give players the highest quality voice comms available.”
TeamSpeak also announced that it will develop a custom digital solution for the Overwatch League rather than the league’s current analog on-stage system of the past.
TeamSpeak Speaks Up?
It’s weird hearing about TeamSpeak again. The platform, alongside Ventrilo and Mumble, defined PC-based voice communications for years. Weather groups of friends playing CS:GO or World of Warcraft guilds preparing for a raid, these bits of software were an essential part of gaming in a time before Discord and post-Xfire.
This does make us wonder if TeamSpeak is set to return. While the platform is way behind Discord now, it has one major advantage over Discord, dedicated servers. If you play with friends or take part in an esports event, the last thing you want is for the voice service to drop mid-game.
For a pretty small fee (about what Discord charges for its Nitro service) or bundled in with most private server hosting providers, TeamSpeak operates in a unique space and is certainly a better option for a tournament organizer.
It also must bring up the questions of when Discord offers some kind of dedicated server. While Discord is likely to be happy in its current state, the firm is run on investment capital, so exploring new areas is part of its MO.