The Outlaws failed to make it past the quarterfinals in each of the three midseason tournaments of the season.[2][3][4] Houston ended the season with a 6–15 record and were eliminated from postseason contention on September 3 after a 1–3 to the Boston Uprising in the North America play-ins tournament.[5]
Preceding offseason
Sale of the franchise
On June 12, 2019, Immortals Gaming Club (IGC), the parent company of Immortals and the Los Angeles Valiant, acquired Infinite Esports, the parent company of Houston Outlaws and OpTic Gaming, marking the first major sale of any Overwatch League franchise.[6] By OWL rules, one company may not own more than one OWL franchise; while Riot Games and Activision Blizzard approved the sale, IGC operated Valiant and Outlaws as entirely separate entities, with oversight by OWL representatives, until they sold the Outlaws.[7]
On November 14, 2019, Beasley Broadcast Group announced the acquisition of the Houston Outlaws from Immortals Gaming Club. The purchase marked the company's third esports venture.[8]
Organizational changes
In September 2019, the Outlaws released both head coach Kim "TaiRong" Tae-yeong and assistant coach Kim "Hyunwoo" Hyun-woo – both who had been in their positions since the team's inception in 2017 – after Houston's disappointing 2019 campaign.[9] The following month, Houston signed Harsha Bandi, the former assistant coach of the Vancouver Titans and former analyst of the San Francisco Shock.[10] Following, the team signed former Montreal Rebellion coach Chris "Dream" Myrick to their coaching staff.[11]
The Outlaws enter the new season with three free agents, one player which they have the option to retain for another year, and six players under contract.[13] The OWL's deadline to exercise a team option is November 11, after which any players not retained will become a free agent. Free agency officially began on October 7.[14]
Acquisitions
The first signing for the 2020 season was on October 18, when the Outlaws signed DPS João Pedro "Hydration" Goes Telles, who had most recently played for the Los Angeles Gladiators.[15] Three days later, the team acquired DPS Jeffrey "blasé" Tsang from the Boston Uprising.[16] The following month, Houston picked up former Vancouver Titans flex support player Jung-geun "Rapel" Kim and former New York Excelsior flex tank Kim "MekO" Tae-hong.[17][18] The team added former Seoul Dynasty support player Lee "Jecse" Seong-soo on January 2.[19]
Departures
On October 17, the Outlaws announced that they would not re-sign free agent DPS Jung "Arhan" Won-hyeop, who had been with the team since its inception in 2017.[20] The following month, on November 9, the team announced that they would also not re-sign main support Chris "Bani" Bennell.[21] On December 7, flex DPS Jake "Jake" Lyon announced that was retiring from professional Overwatch competition.[22] A month later, on January 14, off-tank player Matt "Coolmatt" Iorio retired as a player and moved to an organizational role with the Outlaws.[23]
^Mathews, Chris (August 21, 2019). "Major Houston esports team reveals dates, venue for first-ever home matches in 2020". Houston Business Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
^Collins, Sean (May 22, 2020). "Decay leads Dallas Fuel to record-setting performance in 3-1 win over Houston Outlaws in May Melee". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
^Richardson, Liz (August 7, 2020). "Fuel to the fire: Overwatch League Countdown Cup Knockout round results". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
^Richardson, Liz (September 3, 2020). "Houston Outlaws, Vancouver Titans eliminated from Overwatch League playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
^Goslin, Austen (June 12, 2019). "Immortals Gaming acquires Infinite Esports parent company of OpTic Gaming and Houston Outlaws". Polygon. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
^Hayward, Andrew (June 12, 2019). "Immortals GC Acquires OpTic Gaming and Houston Outlaws Parent, Infinite Esports & Entertainment". The Esports Observer. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
^Hitt, Kevin (November 15, 2019). "Beasley Broadcast Group Acquires Houston Outlaws From Immortals Gaming Club". The Esports Observer. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
^Richardson, Liz (September 20, 2019). "Houston Outlaws release head coach and assistant coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
^Richardson, Liz (October 16, 2019). "Houston Outlaws acquire Harsha as head coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
^Scott, Rainee (October 25, 2019). "Outlaws Sign Chris "Dream" Myrick to Coaching Staff". The Game Haus. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
^Houston Outlaws [@Outlaws] (October 19, 2019). "That's right, DJ Daniel is coming home to Houston" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^Morello, Matt (July 30, 2019). "2020 Team Needs and Player Contract Status". Overwatch League. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
^Richardson, Liz (October 4, 2019). "Overwatch League reveals player contract status for entire league". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
^Samples, Rachel (October 18, 2019). "Houston Outlaws sign Hydration ahead of the 2020 Overwatch League season". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
^"Boston Uprising trade Jeffrey "blasé" Tsang to Houston Outlaws". GamingLyfe. October 22, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
^Field Level Media (November 16, 2019). "Outlaws, looking to climb OWL standings, sign 'Rapel'". Gwinett Prep Sports. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
^Scott, Rainee (November 17, 2019). "Outlaws Sign Tae-hong "MekO" Kim". The Game Haus. Retrieved November 17, 2019.