Yesterday was a historic day for the Overwatch League (OWL), as Philip “ChipSa” Graham made his long-awaited debut with the Philadelphia Fusion. His debut also helped increase viewership for the one map he got to play.
Who is ChipSa?
ChipSa is a damage player from the UK who is best known for his Doomfist. He made a name for himself on the ladder as a Doomfist one trick. The Philadelphia Fusion signed him before the 2020 OWL season, but he never saw any play until yesterday.
ChipSa became something of a meme in the OWL community because no one knew if he would ever get to play. While he is undoubtedly a great Doomfist, his lack of versatility is suspect. The suspense before his first appearance undoubtedly helped increase his popularity.
Increase in viewership during his debut
When Philly announced they were starting ChipSa against the Vancouver Titans, the viewership began shooting up. The OWL, which normally sits around 25k – 35k live viewers, shot up to over 45k.
After the game on Oasis, Philly took ChipSa out, and the OWL viewership steadily fell. By the time the Los Angeles Valiant played the Toronto Defiant, viewership had dropped back under 30k.
The increase while ChipSa was playing shows why it’s important for teams to sign lovable players. Fans want to see their favorite players play, regardless of what teams they are on. This was the case with other popular personalities like Félix “xQc” Lengyel and Brandon “Seagull” Larned. Unfortunately, many fan favorites have left Overwatch in pursuit of individual streaming careers and other passions.
Hopefully, this isn’t the last we will see of ChipSa this season. His debut wasn’t that bad, after all. They won the game convincingly, and he proved he can hang in the OWL. The OWL could sure use the viewership boost.
