The Houston Outlaws are an American professional
''Overwatch'' esports team based in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. The Outlaws compete in the
Overwatch League
The Overwatch League (OWL) is a professional esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'', produced by its developer, Blizzard Entertainment. The Overwatch League follows the model of other traditional North American professional sporting lea ...
(OWL) as a member of the league's West region.
Founded in 2017, Houston Outlaws is one of the league's twelve founding members and is one of two professional Overwatch teams based in Texas (the other,
Dallas Fuel
Dallas Fuel is an American professional ''Overwatch'' team based in Dallas, Texas. The Fuel compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region.
Founded in 2017, Dallas Fuel is one of the league's twelve founding team ...
). Originally, the Outlaws were established by OpTic Gaming and then acquired by Infinite Esports. The
Immortals Gaming Club
Immortals, LLC, doing business as Immortals Gaming Club (IGC), is a collective esports and gaming company. The company rebranded from Immortals to Immortals Gaming Club in 2019 after they acquired Brazil's Gamers Club. IGC owns and operates IGC E ...
(IGC) acquired Infinite Esports in 2019, marking the first change of ownership of an OWL franchise. However, IGC already had ownership of
Los Angeles Valiant
Los Angeles Valiant (stylized as VΛLIΛNT) is an American professional Overwatch (video game)#Esports, ''Overwatch'' esports team representing the city of Los Angeles, California, although the team is operated in China. Valiant compete in the O ...
, and while the League allowed IGC to operate both teams, had set strict standards to keep the teams independent. Subsequently, IGC sold the Outlaws to the
Beasley Media Group
Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc., based in Naples, Florida, is an owner/operator of radio stations in the United States. , the company owned 63 stations under the Beasley Media Group name.
History
The company was founded in 1961 by George G. Beasl ...
in November 2019.
In the
2022 Overwatch League season
The 2022 Overwatch League season was the fifth season of the Overwatch League (OWL), a professional esports league. Contrasted to the first four seasons, which was played on the video game ''Overwatch'', the season was played on an early build of ...
, the Outlaws have qualified for the season playoffs for the first time since they were first founded.
Franchise history
Beginnings
On September 20, 2017,
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, the company was founded on February 8, 1991, under the name Silicon & Synapse, Inc. by three graduat ...
officially announced that American
esports
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Although orga ...
organization
OpTic Gaming
OpTic Gaming is an American professional esports and entertainment organization headquartered in Frisco, Texas. The organization currently operates a ''Call of Duty'' team in the Call of Duty League, OpTic Texas, they also operate a ''Overwatch ...
had acquired the Houston-based franchise of the Overwatch League.
Reports suggested that OpTic received an investment from
Texas Rangers co-owner Neil Leibman to help fund the franchise fee. On October 31, 2017, the franchise revealed its name, the Houston Outlaws, as well as their full 10-man roster and coaching staff.
Early years (2018–present)
On January 11, 2018, the Outlaws played their first regular season Overwatch League match, a 3–2 loss to the
Philadelphia Fusion
Philadelphia Fusion is an American-based professional Overwatch (video game)#Professional competition, ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Fusion compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's E ...
. One week later, on January 17, Houston claimed their first victory after sweeping the
Shanghai Dragons
The Shanghai Dragons () are a professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Shanghai, China. The Dragons compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2017, Shanghai Dragons are one of the league's ...
4–0. Houston went on to qualify for the Stage 1 playoffs but fell to the
London Spitfire
London Spitfire is a professional ''Overwatch'' team representing the city of London, United Kingdom. The Spitfire compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, London Spitfire is one of the le ...
in the semifinals. Houston entered their last regular season match against the
New York Excelsior
The New York Excelsior (often stylized as NYXL) is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in New York City, New York. The Excelsior compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017 ...
, needing a win to keep their
season playoff hopes alive. The Outlaws had a 2–1 lead after three matches, but New York won the next three straight to take the win 3–2. With consistent performances by
tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...
player Austin "Muma" Wilmot and
damage
Damage is any change in a thing, often a physical object, that degrades it away from its initial state. It can broadly be defined as "changes introduced into a system that adversely affect its current or future performance".Farrar, C.R., Sohn, H., ...
player Jiri "LiNkzr" Masalin throughout the season, the team finished in seventh place with a 22–18 regular season record.
The Outlaws made minimal roster additions entering the
2019 season, signing only damage player Dante "Danteh" Cruz. Houston struggled throughout the first half of the season, winning only three of their first 14 matches, including a winless
Stage 2. After the
All-Star break, the Outlaws rebounded, posting a 5–2 record in
Stage 3
Stage or stages may refer to:
Acting
* Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions
* Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage"
* ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper
* St ...
, and qualified for the Stage 3 playoffs. However, the team lost to the
Vancouver Titans
The Vancouver Titans are a professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Titans compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018, the Vancouver Titans beg ...
, 0–3, in the quarterfinals. A 1–3 loss to the
London Spitfire
London Spitfire is a professional ''Overwatch'' team representing the city of London, United Kingdom. The Spitfire compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, London Spitfire is one of the le ...
in Week 3 of Stage 4 officially eliminated the Outlaws from
season playoff contention. Despite the strong Stage 3, Houston ended the season in 16th place with a 9–19 record.
In the middle of the 2019 season, the Outlaws changed ownership. On June 12, 2019,
Immortals Gaming Club
Immortals, LLC, doing business as Immortals Gaming Club (IGC), is a collective esports and gaming company. The company rebranded from Immortals to Immortals Gaming Club in 2019 after they acquired Brazil's Gamers Club. IGC owns and operates IGC E ...
(IGC), the parent company of
Immortals
Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life.
Immortal or Immortality may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film
* ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...
and
Los Angeles Valiant
Los Angeles Valiant (stylized as VΛLIΛNT) is an American professional Overwatch (video game)#Esports, ''Overwatch'' esports team representing the city of Los Angeles, California, although the team is operated in China. Valiant compete in the O ...
, acquired Infinite Esports, the parent company of Houston Outlaws and
OpTic Gaming
OpTic Gaming is an American professional esports and entertainment organization headquartered in Frisco, Texas. The organization currently operates a ''Call of Duty'' team in the Call of Duty League, OpTic Texas, they also operate a ''Overwatch ...
, marking the first sale of any Overwatch League franchise. Both
Riot Games
Riot Games, Inc. is an American video game developer, publisher and esports tournament organizer based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in September 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill to develop ''League of Legends'' and went on t ...
and
Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Santa Monica, California. It was founded in July 2008 through the merger of Activision, Inc. (the publicly traded parent company of Activision Publishing) and Vivendi ...
approved the sale; by OWL rules, one company may not own more than one OWL franchise, so IGC had to operate the Valiant and Outlaws as entirely separate entities, with oversight by OWL representatives, until IGC sold the Outlaws. In November 2019, IGC sold the Outlaws to the
Beasley Media Group
Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc., based in Naples, Florida, is an owner/operator of radio stations in the United States. , the company owned 63 stations under the Beasley Media Group name.
History
The company was founded in 1961 by George G. Beasl ...
.
Prior to the start of the
2020 season, the Outlaws released head coach Kim "TaiRong" Tae-yeong;
the team former
Vancouver Titans
The Vancouver Titans are a professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Titans compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018, the Vancouver Titans beg ...
assistant coach Harsha Bandi as their new head coach.
The team lost several of their players, including ''
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' in-game communication leader
Jacob "Jake" Lyon to retirement, while picking up a handful of veteran players.
The team had their worst regular season performance in franchise history, finishing in 16th place with a 6–15 record. The team entered tied as the last seed in the North America
play-in tournament.
Houston lost to the
Boston Uprising
Boston Uprising is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The team competes in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, Boston is one of the league's twelv ...
, 1–3, on September 3 in the first round of the play-ins, ending their season.
In the offseason preceding the
2021 season, the Outlaws signed former
San Francisco Shock
The San Francisco Shock are an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in San Francisco, California. The Shock compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, the San Francisco Shock ...
assistant coach Jae "Junkbuck" Choi to be a co-head coach along with their current head coach Harsha Bandi and promoted Matt "coolmatt" Iorio as the organization's new general manager.
The team overhauled their roster, releasing all of their players except for damage players Danteh and João Pedro "Hydration" Goes Telles. Among their many signings, the Outlaws picked up
Harrisburg University support player Enrique "Joobi" Triana, marking the first time that collegiate player had been directly signed to the Overwatch League, and signed Jake back to the team as a player and coach. The Outlaws found success in the first half of the season, going a combined 7–1 in the first two tournament cycles, the
May Melee and
June Joust. However, they were defeated in the regional knockouts both times by the
Dallas Fuel
Dallas Fuel is an American professional ''Overwatch'' team based in Dallas, Texas. The Fuel compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region.
Founded in 2017, Dallas Fuel is one of the league's twelve founding team ...
. Houston failed to advance to the regional knockouts in either of the final two tournament cycles of the season, finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record. Finishing in fifth place in the Western region, the team advanced to the Western
play-in tournament. Houston was defeated by the
Washington Justice
Washington Justice is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Washington, D.C. The Justice compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018, Washington Justice began play as one ...
in the play-in finals, eliminating them from postseason contention.
Team identity
On October 30, 2017, OpTic Gaming announced that the team Houston-based team would be called the Houston Outlaws. The organization chose the name "to honor the region’s rebellious and fearless nature in the face of
all challenges, channeling its history and fight for independence to create a name and identity that is as large-and-in-charge as its hometown."
The design of the logo was a collaboration between OpTic Gaming and the Overwatch Development team. It depicts two revolvers arranged in the shape of the classic Texan longhorn skull, with a star in between the horns. The two revolvers forming the skull "symbolizes the strength of the team and the city it represents," while the single star "represents the team’s pride in being a part of the Lone Star State."
The colors of the logo, green and black, symbolize the "Green Wall", the name of OpTic's esports fan base. "We're excited for the Houston Outlaws to join the Green Wall family," said Hector Rodriguez. "All of our fans live to compete—to be louder than everyone else and to deafen the competition with our skilled play and enthusiasm. The Houston Outlaws will continue our historical dominance in esports and introduce a new meaning of 'community' to our fans in Texas."
Sponsors
In May 2018, the Outlaws, revealed their first partnership, a sponsorship agreement with telecommunications provider
T-Mobile
T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic (T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland (T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobile ...
, a company that was already a sponsor of the Overwatch League itself. The deal included a number perks to Houston Outlaws fans, as well a new behind-the-scenes content series. Further, in May of that year, the Outlaws announced they were partnering with
gaming peripheral provider
Turtle Beach, previously a sponsor of the Outlaws' parent organization OpTic Gaming. In the Spring of 2019, the Outlaws announced two new partnerships, one with gaming retailer
GameStop
GameStop Corp. is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer. The company is headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas), and is the largest video game retailer worldwide. , the company operates 4,5 ...
and the other with Texas-based grocery chain
H-E-B
H-E-B Grocery Company, LP, is an American privately held supermarket chain based in San Antonio, Texas, with more than 340 stores throughout the U.S. state of Texas, as well as in northeast Mexico. The company also operates Central Market, an ...
.
Personnel
Current roster
Head coaches
Awards and records
Seasons overview
Individual accomplishments
All-Star Game selections
*Muma (Austin Wilmot) – 2018
*Danteh (Dante Cruz) – 2019, 2020
*Hydration (João Pedro Goes Telles) – 2020
*Jecse (Lee Seung-soo) – 2020
Academy team
Founded on February 21, 2018, to compete in
Overwatch Contenders
Overwatch Contenders (OWC) is an international esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'' that is organized by Blizzard Entertainment. The series acts as the development league for aspiring Overwatch League (OWL) professionals. Founded in 2 ...
North America, the Outlaws' academy team initially went under the moniker "OpTic Academy".
On July 2, 2018, one day prior to Season Two starting, the team announced they would be rebranding themselves as "GG Esports Academy". However, in October 2018, GG Esports Academy was removed from Overwatch Contenders for failing to submit a final roster by the roster deadline. The team submitted an extension request, but it was denied by Blizzard.
Seasons overview
References
External links
*
{{Texas sports
Esports teams based in the United States
Overwatch League teams
2017 establishments in Texas
Esports teams established in 2017