Instead of calling on a bunch of modern pop artists like Riot does for League of Legends’ esports songs, Blizzard is going for a traditional sports broadcast vibe for its two new Overwatch Championship Series (OWCS) themes.
It’s fitting for an esports league that is trying to follow up the NFL-like Overwatch League (OWL) that collapsed last year. OWCS is a much smaller scale thing, but the songs suggest Blizzard still wants it to sonically live up to the original pitch for OWL. Both tracks are available to listen to on Rolling Stone. The “OWCS Anthem” will play when a team wins a match, and “OWCS Overtime” will play alongside the action and commentary.
As far as triumphant theme songs go, “OWCS Anthem” hits. It’s a song that builds and builds with echoes of the hopeful Overwatch theme song and some electronic, sci-fi notes. When I close my eyes, I can see players in jerseys shaking hands on stage as it plays.
“OWCS Overtime,” however, is tighter and more tense, like gripping a mouse in the final minute of a match. The drum and bass come in halfway through and lighten it up, but then it does a big drop that sounds just like what you’d hear in an Overwatch match during overtime.
Both tracks are miles away from the catchy themes that Riot has for Worlds. I remember leaving 2019’s “Phoenix” on repeat, but aside from it sounding massive, it didn’t necessarily make me think of professional players smacking creeps on a three-lane map. OWCS’ themes are riffing on iconic sports tracks like the one that plays for Fox’s NFL broadcasts; you can practically hear the roar of a crowd somewhere in the background.
The composer for the songs, Justin Welgraven, who has also made music for World of Warcraft, says both themes are “about capturing that victorious, anthemic feeling.”
OWCS has already been going without its own theme songs, but that will change when it holds its finals later this month. A full orchestra will play both of them at DreamHack Stockholm as the event kicks off. You can catch it live on November 22 to 24.
