Co-owner cites ‘dwindling interest’ in the game
Earlier this year, I was invited to Las Vegas to cover the inaugural weekend of the H1Z1 Pro League, or H1PL. It was a big, glitzy affair, put on by league owners Twin Galaxies, with guest appearances from celebrities like Michelle Rodriguez who was there to launch what league manager Jace Hall considered the next evolutionary step in esports.
Players in the league signed a contract and were to receive part of a $250,000 stipend paid for by the league. According to ESPN, that stipend was never paid, and while some team owners were able to cover player expenses out of pocket, others weren’t. Obey Alliance was the first team to pull out of the league two months ago, and now all the teams have been let go from the league. According to a message sent to teams by Hall and obtained by ESPN, the league is still working to pay the teams.
The H1PL launched in April, airing exclusively on Facebook, but apparently was only able to reach a height of 7,900 concurrent viewers on the platform. In comparison, the Overwatch League Grand Finals peaked at 319,000 viewers this past summer. H1Z1 is available now for PC and PS4 with the latter platform hitting ten million downloads earlier this year.
