With the hype about the players winding down as deadlines started to close, most teams have already announced their official roster for the upcoming season. While the players are an important part of the broadcast, much like regular sports the on-screen talent is also very important. For instance, when I see Collinsworth is casting the Patriots game I want to stab my eardrums. You need casters and analysts that offer incredible insight while also being entertaining. You need a team that is full of hype and that people like. I would argue that the talent team that the Overwatch League has it part of the reason why this eSport has been so successful.

Now that localization begins this season in the Overwatch League, this ambitious task does cause some questions like “What does this mean for the talent?” This means that they are going to need more people, to deploy around to every game as they currently do. The analysts are probably going to remain in LA to do their thing, just like it’s done in the NFL. Nothing has been mentioned to the fans. All we have to go by is that Custa has joined the desk crew as an analyst and unsurprisingly, JAKE has joined as a new caster.

There have been some cryptic posts from names like Puckett and Bren that hints to some major changes. But what? Are there going to be more casters? Are we losing desk people? What about #justice4reinforce? My theory? They’d be dumb to break up Bren/Sideshow especially with the addition of Custa, who they get along so well with. Puckett is a staple at the desk and it would be really hard to see him go. As much as I love Soe, I loved her more during the interviews than on the desk. So would the analyst desk consist of Puckett, Sideshow, Bren, and Custa? Are the theories right that Puckett will make the switch to COD and puts Soe as the host? I could see her doing well as the host, but I’m still team Puckett here.

There’s no announcement yet for additional casters. My theory is that the casting duos remain unchanged, except for the additions of new ones. My predictions? I feel as though Achilios and Wolf will stick around, only they will stay in Korea/Asia for the Asian homestands. Uber and Mr X. may relocated to the east coast to focus on homestands on that side of the country. Monte and Doa may be floaters that are primarily centered in the south. Then, JAKE and his unnamed partner will remain in LA for the west coast matches. I think separating the teams like this could make the most sense, from a logistics standpoint. But who will JAKE’s partner be? Some have suggested LemonKiwi, his world cup casting partner. Other’s have said Avast. I think Avast may work well moving up from Contenders casting to Overwatch League, but I’m not sure how well he’d work with JAKE. I think they are both pretty high energy guys who need a calmer presence on stage with them.

We still have some time for the Overwatch Season 3 to begin, so a lot can happen between then. It will be interesting to see who on the cast and crew are sticking around and who will be leaving. It may even be a little heartbreaking to see. I can’t wait though. Season 3 hype-mode: activated.