The Overwatch League as a whole has been doing phenomenally, with millions of people tuning in to view the event and heated rivalries and memes springing up from the exciting season. In the most recent update from the league, the Shanghai Dragons might be getting some fresh roster additions soon, and one of those additions would be Korea’s own Geguri.
Geguri stirred up quite a bit of buzz in Overwatch back in mid-2016 when she was accused of hacking because of her insane level of play. She had an 80% win rate on Zarya at the time, and her tracking and reactions were so precise that two professional Overwatch players accused Genguri of cheating. She went on to prove her innocence by posting a hour-long stream of her playing Zarya. Soon after her video was posted, her accusers quit from their professional Overwatch team after they wagered their careers on Geguri being a cheater.
Since then, the 18-year-old has played for EHOME, and most recently, ROX Orcas. A current deal proposal with Shanghai Dragons could put Geguri back in the spotlight by putting her and three other players onto the team’s roster. Those other teammates include Element Mystic’s Fearless, MVP Space’s Ado, and another unnamed Chinese player. If this deal goes through and is finalized, these players will be officially added onto the team’s roster. While the Shanghai Dragons have had an unimpressive performance at the Overwatch League thus far, with a current standing of (0-8) in Phase 1, hopefully these new additions can help turn things around during Phase 2 of the season.
Signing Geguri into the Overwatch League would also be substantial because it would not only signify the first woman to play in the league, but it would also be one of the few times that a woman would play at such a high level, prestigious event. Some have criticized Overwatch League’s lack of inclusion for women by not signing Geguri, but she states that not getting signed has nothing to do with being a woman, and the controversy itself makes her uncomfortable.
Shanghai Dragons are expected to make an official statement sometimes within the next few weeks. With the possible inclusion of Geguri in the Overwatch League, the first biggest representation for women in eSports is just around the corner.