Overwatch League just got its first major rebrand, Philadelphia Fusion moving from the United States to South Korea, turning into Seoul Infernal. While this represents the first ever substantial rebranding, another team has already made a big move, Paris Eternal becoming Vegas Eternal on September 7, 2018. Seoul Infernal is however the first team to completely drop the original name.
“Philadelphia Fusion is to be rebranded as the Seoul Infernal in 2023,” the popular industry watcher Overwatch Cavalry announced on Twitter. “As the team prepares for their shift in team operations to South Korea, this rebrand will bring new jerseys, merchandise, and skins to Overwatch League 2023, making them the second Seoul team.”
Seoul Infernal will become the second team to be located in both Seoul and South Korea, the first being Seoul Dynasty. The only other countries in Overwatch League are the United Kingdom with just a single team, Canada with two teams, China with four teams, and the United States with no less than 11 teams in Boston, New York, Washington, Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
“Today, Overwatch League team Philadelphia Fusion announced plans to rebrand itself in the new year as the Seoul Infernal and relocate to South Korea where the team has been operating for the past two years,” the official announcement from team owner Comcast Spectacor described. “The team, founded in 2017, initially moved operations to South Korea at the onset of the Covid pandemic in early 2020 in close coordination with Overwatch League officials.”
“As we gear up for next season, we’ve been evaluating how we can best compete at a consistent, championship level and we’ve realized that our franchise will be best positioned to succeed in Seoul,” President and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast Spectacor Dave Scott remarked about the move. “We’re excited to begin this next chapter as the Seoul Infernal and our team is proud to represent our current and future fans on the global stage.”
Seoul Infernal will be remaining under the same ownership going forward, Comcast Spectacor. In addition to the existing management, the roster of currently signed players will be retained, but some “new additions will be brought on to build out the team.”