Dafran approved to join a new franchise for Season Two of the Overwatch League
R: Robert Paul for Blizzard EntertainmentPopular Overwatch streamer Daniel ‘Dafran’ Francesca has reportedly been approved to compete in Season Two of the Overwatch League.
According to Michael ‘mykL’ Padilla, another Overwatch content creator and former pro player who has been reporting on roster moves during the Overwatch League off-season, Dafran’s approval to play for the new Atlanta franchise is now confirmed.
Dafran’s move to the Overwatch League was reported by multiple individuals, including mykL, and Dafran himself later hinted at the possibility on his own stream.
Though all players need to be approved by Blizzard to join the Overwatch League, Dafran’s approval seemed less certain than others due to his history as a player. Dafran’s professional career seemingly came to an end after he was suspended in July 2017, preventing him from competing in Contenders Seasons Zero and One.
Dafran has since turned to streaming full-time, becoming one of Overwatch’s most popular players on Twitch. However, his standing with Blizzard hasn’t always been perfect even since his departure from professional play, and he was seemingly removed as a candidate for the Danish Overwatch World Cup National Committee during the voting stage.
Atlanta is one of eight new franchises joining the Overwatch League for Season Two. Expansion teams currently have an exclusive free agent signing window until October 7, after which existing teams will also be able to sign free agents.
So far, none of the new teams have announced their name or branding, and only Washington D.C. has officially announced the signing of any players.
*Update: September 25*
Dafran has denied that he will be joining the Overwatch League, describing mykL as his “little pawn.”