Overwatch League and Twitch Offering Virtual Rewards To Enhance Viewing Experience

There’s no question that the partnership between the Overwatch League and Twitch has been an [...]

Twitch Overwatch
(Photo: Twitch)

There's no question that the partnership between the Overwatch League and Twitch has been an ideal one, bringing in hundreds of thousands of viewers who cheer on their favorite teams in Blizzard's highly competitive multiplayer game. But now, Twitch is looking to enhance the experience even further, by giving viewers select rewards for tuning in.

The company made the announcement this morning, confirming several new additions to the program that will reward said viewers with in-game goods and more – and they'll stack up with each new match you watch.

First up, Cheering is a new feature that will be introduced with the League broadcasts, which enable fans to unlock in-game skins, exclusive emotes and team-themed items. In return, viewers can donate Bits (a virtual item offered through Twitch) and keep track of who's the biggest cheer leader for each team. A small sample of these skins can be seen below.

Twitch Overwatch 2
(Photo: Twitch)

It's worth noting, according to the press release, that the in-game hero skins will be exclusive "for a period of time," so they might be of interest to fans.

Also being introduced as part of the experience as League Tokens. All fans need to do is link their Battle.net account with Twitch, MLG or the Overwatch League home page, and they can begin earning. One League Token will be awarded per map finish, and a small percentage of viewers can actually earn up to 100 League Tokens during the final map – which can earn them another team skin.

The Tokens will be offered across a number of countries, and Twitch has noted that more will be added to the list before the next season kicks off. They will be redeemable across all platforms, including Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

In addition, Twitch has also noted that it's hard at work on a VIP ticket program for Overwatch League, one that will provide even more items for the game, as well as behind-the-scenes video content and more. Pricing hasn't been revealed yet, but more details should be available soon.

"Today's news illustrates Twitch's commitment to bringing the best possible experience to our Overwatch League fans," said Mike Minton, Sr. Director, Commerce, Twitch. "With Twitch's exclusive Cheering feature, fans can express their team pride as they unlock exclusive items, while the viewer rewards program lets them earn League Tokens that build on that pride with Overwatch League home-team skins. More innovations are in the pipeline, but it's already a one-of-a-kind approach that will resonate with fans who want the ultimate live shared experience online."

We'll see how the next chapter of the series plays out with these new changes in play soon enough.

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