Pete Vlastelica, who became the commissioner of Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch League after the abrupt departure of former OWL Commissioner Nate Nanzer in May of 2019, has stepped down as commissioner. Vlastelica, who also serves as president and CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports, appointed himself to the role when Nanzer announced he would be leaving for a position at Epic Games. While Vlastelica is stepping down from the commissioner post, he will remain in his current position within the company at Activision Blizzard Esports.
Several sources close to the situation have confirmed with The Esports Observer that Vlastelica has in fact stepped down but did not elaborate further.
As commissioner, Vlastelica would eventually inherit a league beset by problems associated with COVID-19, ultimately halting all live in-person events in 2020. Live events were canceled as well as homestand competitions that were being counted upon in regard to growing the potential revenue, sponsorship opportunities, and fanbase of the teams and the league.
Teams would feel the financial brunt of the pandemic, with some organizations cutting entire rosters and high salaried players in order to sign less expensive and less experienced players.
TEO has reached out to Activision Blizzard for comment and will update this story if more information becomes available.
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