Friday saw well known esports Journalist Richard Lewis release the official Overwatch League rulebook that has been unavailable to the public for viewing from the very beginning of the inaugural season for the league. The Overwatch League released a summary of their Code of Conduct and Rules of Competition handbook back in late February, but with multiple players recieving fines and suspensions and there being no public source of the exact rules and regulations to weigh their transgressions against, many members of the community have been concerned with Blizzard playing the role of judge, jury and executioner.
Today we release the OWL rulebook. You can download your copy herehttps://t.co/lydK15SOpU
— Richard Lewis (@RLewisReports) March 23, 2018
Richard Lewis explained that one rule has been altered since the time of issuing for this specfic version of the rulebook, concerning the section detailing how many professional players can stream together, which was made based on feedback from the players themselves.
One noticeable clause in the 35 page document dealt with the rulebook granting the league the ability to censor players' personal streams for any reason they deem fit, as stated in the following excerpt from the rulebook.
"The League may, in its sole discretion, instruct any player to take down or otherwise remove any content that has previously been distrubuted or prohibit future streaming for any reason, including as a result og any player's non-compliance with this policy. Failure to comply with any such instructionsmay subject the player to discipline by the league."
The rulebook also grants the league the ability to film the players 24/7, if they choose to create any reality programming, documentaries or other kinds of unscripted content. Cameras are allowed to be placed in team houses, training facilities, the competition venue and any other areas that are frequented by players. The only area that the rulebook denies the placement of cameras is the bathrooms of the players.
With the official rulebook now available for the public to view, do you agree with the rules and regulations that players and teams must abide by?
(cover photo courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment)
