Overwatch League commissioner Pete Vlastelica stepping down, sources say

It seems plenty of Overwatch League news is coming out just before the Grand Finals this year. With the recent news of the London Spitfire releasing their roster and staff, things were changing. Plus, with Activision Blizzard letting teams delay their payments for this year, teams could stay together longer. It’s no surprise the pandemic affected the league in many ways, and with this news, it has gone to the top. The commissioner of the league, Pete Vlastelica, is reportedly going to step down (per The Esports Observer). He will remain his position as president and CEO of Activision Blizzard, but he will give up the role to someone else.

Another move in the league

This is a little bit of a surprise at this time. The previous commissioner, Nate Nanzer, left in May of 2019 and went to work with Epic Games. Vlastelica replaced him as commissioner and was unfortunate enough to oversee the league during this pandemic.

Lots of changes had to be made, and a lot of income was lost from having to stop homestands. It makes sense that managing the league as well as being president and CEO must be hard. If this ends up being true, and Vlastelica stays in the company, it states that the job was simply too much to do along with his other responsibilities. The Overwatch League does need a spark of life for the next season. A new commissioner allows new perspectives to be used.

However, the league also needs stability after a tumultuous season after COVID-19. They did manage to end the regular season and most likely will end the playoffs next weekend. With the league offering financial support, stability is slowly happening. Possibly, Vlastelica didn’t imagine himself helming that stability, and knows someone else will do better. Or, he just doesn’t see it working with himself in charge, period. If this news releases, the only question is: who will take over as commissioner, and will the league prosper?