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Esports outfit Philadelphia Fusion on Friday announced the change of their name to Seoul Infernal following the official relocation to South Korea ahead of the forthcoming Overwatch League season.
“Today, we announced plans to rebrand ourselves in the new year as the Seoul Infernal and relocate to South Korea,” the esports outfit tweeted.
The squad, which is owned by a Philadelphia-based company, Comcast Spectacor, was created in 2017. The team first relocated its operations to South Korea at the start of the COVID epidemic in early 2020; hence, the team has been operating in the region for about two years now.
“Overwatch League™ team Philadelphia Fusion announced plans to rebrand itself in the new year as the Seoul Infernal and relocate to South Korea, where the team has been operating for the past two years. The team, founded in 2017, initially moved operations to South Korea at the onset of the COVID pandemic in early 2020 in close coordination with Overwatch League officials,” a press release read.
This movement will be beneficial on many grounds, as it will also bring the previous Philadelphia team closer to their sister team, TI. The esports outfit also disclosed that this modification will include changes in the squad’s jersey, the use of new logos, and other areas that will need an overhaul too.
“The Infernal name and branding will also reflect the team’s new home in Seoul as well as the esports pedigree of our team and its sister team, T1. With the change, the team will unveil fresh logos, new jerseys and more for current and future Infernal team members and fans,” read the press release.
The President and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast Spectacor, Dave Scott, expressed his delight in the changes and explained that the team is finally ready to take on the new season, noting they can now contend at a consistently high level and possibly win championships.
“As we gear up for next season, we’ve been evaluating how we can best compete at a consistent, championship level, and we’ve realized that our franchise will be best positioned to succeed in Seoul,” said Scott. “We’re excited to begin this next chapter as the Seoul Infernal, and our team is proud to represent our current and future fans on the global stage.”
Comcast Spectacor also disclosed in their press release that the changes do not include a change in ownership or management. The company’s executives and players will remain the same, and their team is also open to signing new players.
“The team will maintain the same ownership, management, and roster of currently signed players while new additions will be brought on to build out the team. The Overwatch League regular season will start in Spring 2023 and finals will follow in the Fall,” Comcast Spectacor said.
Following the Paris Eternal’s announcement that it would relocate to Las Vegas ahead of the league’s sixth season, the Seoul Infernal will be the second Overwatch team to do so ahead of the forthcoming season.
Given that Korean talent has been crucial to their organization’s triumphs, their makeover and move make logical sense. However, this revelation has saddened a lot of Philadelphia Fusion’s ardent supporters, especially those who were proud to see their hometown represented on a big stage.
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