Hangzhou’s Overwatch League brand won’t be what fans are hoping for

Joe O'Brien

The Hangzhou Overwatch League franchise are about to reveal their branding, but it won’t be what fans are hoping for.

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Hangzhou is one of eight new expansion franchises for Season Two of the Overwatch League. It’s also one of just three – alongside Washington D.C. and Vancouver – that have yet to reveal their team name and branding.

After it was announced that Hangzhou would be getting an Overwatch League team, owners Bilibili asked fans what they’d like to see the team be named.

The top result was “Railgun” – also a reference to a popular anime character – and it appeared fans would be getting their wish after Bilibili filed a trademark for the name.

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Confusion arose, however, when Bilibili later filed another trademark, this time for the name “Hangzhou Spark”. A recent leak also claimed to reveal the logo that the team will use alongside this name.

So far, three of the other leaked logos – for Guangzhou, Paris, and Chengdu – have proven correct.
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Speculation arose as to whether this would instead be the name of the Overwatch League team, or perhaps another team such as a potential academy squad to compete in Contenders. The name was generally less well received than the prospect of “Hangzhou Railgun”, compounding frustrations with the supposed logo.

According to @OWBeacon, fans are about to get their answer. Hangzhou are reportedly set to announce their branding on November 15, and it seems that the Railgun name will not be used as it was apparently rejected by the Overwatch League.

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About The Author

Joe O'Brien was a veteran esports and gaming journalist, with a passion and knowledge for almost every esport, ranging from Call of Duty, to League of Legends, to Overwatch. He joined Dexerto in 2015, as the company's first employee, and helped shape the coverage for years to come.