Overwatch League player drops $50k on Genshin Impact
As the uncertainty around Overwatch esports' future increases, tongues are loosening up and sharing more and more details of the patch six years of its competitive history.
This time, former Chengdu Hunters and Guangzhou Charge player Li "Xerneas" Xianyao (formerly also known as Yveltal) spilt the beans during a live stream. He filled his fans in on his live time earnings in the Overwatch League and his spending habits during his time as a pro player.
According to a transcription of the live stream posted to the Chinese social media platform weibo, Xerneas spent a staggering 400,000 RMB (~£45,000 / ~$55,000 / ~€52,000) on open-world action RPG Genshin Impact and other games of developer miHoYo.
Xerneas shares his earnings
According to Xerneas, his income during his time in the Overwatch League fluctuated considerably and amounted to a total of 2 million RMB (~£225,000 / ~$273,000 / ~€260,000).
He disclosed that the lion's share of his earnings came from his time on the former Overwatch League franchise Chengdu Hunters, which had officially left the League this summer.
As Xerneas shared, less than 500,000 RMB (~£56,000 / ~$69,000 / ~€65,000) of his OWL salaries is left, and he's currently living with a friend. According to him, he has at least quit Genshin Impact and has not touched the game in two months.
As per his recollection, Xerneas was the highest-paid player on the Chengdu Hunters during season 2 when the franchise entered the league, though he later became the lowest-paid player on the subsequent teams he was part of.
An uncertain future
The player expressed his wishes to continue his career as a pro player, however, given the uncertain future of the Overwatch League amidst a pending owner's vote for an updated operating agreement, he's shared doubt whether there would be a scene to return to in 2024.
Xerneas had played the last year of his career for the Guangzhou Charge, who started out strong in the Spring Split but fell off during the Knockout stages and latter part of the season, failing to qualify for the season playoffs.
He's considered one of the best support players coming out of China, celebrating victories, especially during the fourth season of the Overwatch League with the Hunters, who remained among the top teams in the League for the duration of the season.