Burbank's Blizzard Arena aims to take esports to the next level

On Wednesday, video-game company Blizzard Entertainment launched the inaugural season of its competitive Overwatch League, the first major test of its dedicated esports broadcast facility in Burbank since it opened last year. Blizzard Arena Los Angeles is a roughly 450-seat, 50,000-square-foot, three-studio facility housed in the Burbank Studios, former home of "The Tonight Show." From January until June this year, Blizzard will host the Overwatch League, or OWL, the company's push for an esports organization modeled after traditional sports. Twelve permanent teams representing national and international cities will face each other in regular-season matches, then the best teams will later compete in playoffs to determine the first-ever OWL champion. Along with competing for their share of a $3.5-million prize pool, each player who has a spot on any of the team's rosters is guaranteed a minimum $50,000 salary, health benefits and a retirement plan.