The NFL of e-sports? Blizzard wants to create 'Overwatch' league with city-specific video game fans

Blizzard Entertainment pioneered e-sports with its "Starcraft" franchise more than a decade ago. Now, with "Overwatch," the Irvine video game maker wants to bring to e-sports the wealth and recognition that sports such as soccer, football and basketball generate. To do so, Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Santa Monica's Activision Blizzard Inc., announced Friday it will adopt hallmarks of traditional sports leagues to form an e-sports league more instantly relatable than others spawned in the last few years. Blizzard envisions professional teams for the shooting game "Overwatch" based in a major cities worldwide. Players would be scouted and signed through free agency and receive guaranteed salaries and benefits.