Seoul Infernal
FoundedSeptember 20, 2017
LeagueOverwatch League
RegionEast
Team history
  • Philadelphia Fusion
    (2017–2022)
  • Seoul Infernal
    (2023–present)
Based inSeoul, South Korea
Colors     
OwnerComcast Spectacor
Head coachCho "J1N" Hyo-jin
Affiliation(s)
WebsiteOfficial website

Seoul Infernal is a professional Overwatch esports team based in Seoul, South Korea. The Infernal compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2017 as the Philadelphia Fusion, it is one of the league's twelve founding members and was the first professional esports team based in Pennsylvania. The team is owned by Comcast Spectacor, who also own the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). It also manages Fusion University and T1, academy teams for the Infernal that compete in Overwatch Contenders.

Seoul has reached the season playoffs three times, including an appearance at the inaugural season Grand Finals, where they lost to the London Spitfire.

Franchise history

Beginnings

On September 20, 2017, Overwatch developer Activision Blizzard officially announced that Philadelphia Flyers owner Comcast Spectacor had acquired the rights to the Philadelphia-based Overwatch League franchise.[1][2] With the purchase, the franchise became the first professional esports team to be based in the city of Philadelphia.[3] Dave Scott, CEO at Comcast Spectacor, said that his decision to buy into the league was based on research that showed there were over 300,000 Overwatch players in the market.[4] "I was surprised as we started to look at this seriously a few months ago, just the number of gamers worldwide being in the hundreds of millions," he said. "It’s amazing when you really get into it — 350,000-plus Overwatch players in this market."[5]

On November 1, the franchise name was revealed as the Philadelphia Fusion.[6] Shortly afterwards on November 3, their roster was revealed.[7]

Philadelphia Fusion (2018–2022)

Carpe had been with the team since its inaugural season.

Philadelphia opened their inaugural season with a 3–2 victory over the Houston Outlaws on January 11.[8] On January 25, Philadelphia upset the undefeated New York Excelsior, which marked New York's only loss in Stage 1.[9][10] During the Stage 2 playoffs, the team defeated the Stage 1 champions London Spitfire in the semifinals, though they lost to the New York Excelsior, 3–2, in the stage finals.[11] The team then missed both the Stage 3 and 4 playoffs. They claimed the sixth seed in the season playoffs[12] They defeated the Boston Uprising in the quarterfinals, 2 games to 1. They then faced the three-time stage champions Excelsior, who the Fusion defeated 2 games to 0, which sent them to the Grand Finals. They faced the Spitfire in the Grand Finals; the Spitfire defeated the Fusion 2 games to 0.[13][14]

For their 2019 season, the team was led by co-head coaches Go "NamedHwi" Se-hwi and Elliot "Hayes" Hayes.[15] The Fusion had a solid Stage 1 performance, finishing the stage with a 5–2 record and making it to the Stage 1 Playoffs, but they lost 0–4 in the semifinals to the San Francisco Shock.[16] After posting 3–4 and 4–3 records for Stage 2 and Stage 3, respectively, Philadelphia failed to qualify any other stage playoffs. A 3–1 victory over the Seoul Dynasty in their final regular season match gave the Fusion a 15–13 season record and qualified them for the Play-In Tournament.[17] Philadelphia fell 2–4 to the Shanghai Dragons in the first round of the tournament, ending their hope of qualifying for the season playoffs.[18]

Prior to their 2020 season, both co-head coaches Se-hwi "NamedHwi" Go and Elliot "Hayes" Hayes announced their departures from the team.[19] The team found their replacement on October 25, 2019, with the hiring of former Seoul Dynasty head coach Kim "KDG" Dong-gun.[20] Over the course of the 2020 season, the Philadelphia Fusion reached the finals of two of the three mid season tournaments: the Summer Showdown and the Countdown Cup, losing both to the Paris Eternal and San Francisco Shock, respectively. The Fusion finished the regular season in second place in the overall standings, with a 24–2 record.[21] Advancing to the season playoffs, Philadelphia swept both the Los Angeles Gladiators and Los Angeles Valiant by scores of 3–0 in the first two rounds of the North America bracket.[22][23] In the upper finals match, which took place on September 12, Philadelphia were handed their first loss of the postseason, falling to San Francisco by a score of 1–3.[24] After sweeping the Washington Justice, 3–0, the Fusion advanced to the Grand Finals bracket.[25] The Fusion's first match in the Grand Finals bracket was on October 8, where they were swept, 0–3, by the Shanghai Dragons.[26] The following day, they were swept, 0–3, by the Seoul Dynasty, ending their postseason run.[27] Fusion support player Kim "Alarm" Kyeong-bo won the league's Rookie of the Year award.[28]

In the offseason preceding the 2021 season, the Fusion signed former Paris Eternal general manager Kim "NineK" Bum-hoon as their new head coach, replacing Kim "KDG" Dong-gun, who was released earlier in the offseason.[21] Philadelphia relocated to Seoul, South Korea to compete in the league's East region;[29] while they planned to bring their team, which was composed of many European and Middle Eastern players, to South Korea, COVID-19 variant outbreaks in these regions caused visa issues, preventing them from joining the team. As a result, the Fusion signed several new South Korean players to the team right before the start of the season.[30] With a starting roster of veteran players, the Fusion began the season with a perfect 4–0 start in the May Melee qualifiers.[31] However, they lost to the Shanghai Dragons in the following regional knockout, failing to advance to the interregional tournament.[32] Plagued with ongoing visa issues, the Fusion qualified for the season playoffs, after defeating the Hangzhou Spark and Seoul Dynasty in the Eastern region play-in tournament.[33][34] However, losses to the Los Angeles Gladiators and San Francisco Shock in their first two matches of the double-elimination tournament eliminated them from the playoffs.[35]

The Fusion announced in January 2022 that they would continue to compete in South Korea as a part of the East region for the 2022 season. The team parted ways with head coach NineK and promoted Cho "J1N" Hyo-jin, who was the head coach of their Overwatch Contenders academy team T1, to head coach.[36] Philadelphia released their entire roster in the offseason, aside from damage player Lee "Carpe" Jae-hyeok and support player Kim "Alarm" Kyeong-bo, and signed two rookies from T1. After the death of Alarm in November 2021, the Fusion signed two more veterans to fill out a five-man roster.[35][37]

Seoul Infernal (2023–)

On December 30, 2022, Comcast Spectacor announced that from the 2023 season onward, the Fusion would be rebranding to the Seoul Infernal and relocating to Seoul, South Korea, where they would share facilities with T1, who is co-owned by Comcast Spectacor.[38][39] The decision to move cities and change branding was met with criticism by fans who had supported the team.[40]

Sponsors

On January 21, 2019, Philadelphia Fusion received an official jersey sponsorship from telecommunications equipment manufacturing company ARRIS.[41]

Personnel

Current roster

Seoul Infernal roster
PlayersCoaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Head coach
  • Vacant
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: November 27, 2023.

Head coaches

Handle Name Seasons Record Notes Ref.
Kirby Yann Luu 2018 24–16 (.600) [42][43]
NamedHwi Sehwi Go 2019 15–13 (.536) Co-head coaches. [43][44]
Hayes Elliot Hayes
KDG Kim Dong-gun 2020 19–2 (.905) [20][21]
NineK Kim Bum-hoon 2021 10–6 (.625) [21][45]
J1N Cho Hyo-jin 2022–2023 11–13 (.458) [45]

Awards and records

Seasons overview

Season P W L W% Finish Playoffs
2018 40 24 16 .600 4th, Atlantic Lost in Grand Finals, 0–2 (Spitfire)
2019 28 15 13 .536 4th, Atlantic Did not qualify
2020 21 19 2 .905 1st, North America Lost in GF Lower Round 1, 0–3 (Dynasty)
2021 16 10 6 .625 4th, East Lost in Lower Round 1, 2–3 (Shock)
2022 24 11 13 .458 3rd, East Lost in Lower Round 1, 1–3 (Gladiators)

Individual accomplishments

Rookie of the Year

  • Alarm (Kim Kyung-bo) – 2020

Role Star selections

  • Carpe (Lee Jae-hyeok) – 2020
  • Alarm (Kim Kyung-bo) – 2020

All-Star Game selections

  • Carpe (Lee Jae-hyeok) – 2018, 2019, 2020
  • Poko (Gael Gouzarch) – 2018, 2019, 2020
  • Alarm (Kim Kyung-bo) – 2020
  • FunnyAstro (Daniel Hathaway) – 2020

All-Star Game head coaches

  • KDG (Kim Dong-gun) – 2020

Academy team

On January 29, 2018, the Fusion formally announced their academy team, Fusion University (FU), that would begin competition in the North American division of Overwatch Contenders.[46][47]

The team won all three North American championships in 2018,[48][49] as well as the first North American East championship in 2019. After winning the first Atlantic Showdown, Fusion University announced that they would be moving from the North American division to compete in Korean Trials; the move was reportedly made to abide by the new region lock rules, which were implemented in 2019 Season 1, though FU was given a season-long grace period.[50]

On January 14, 2020, T1 Esports, a Korean organization jointly operated by Comcast Spectacor (the parent organization of the Fusion) and SK Telecom, replaced Fusion University as the new Philadelphia Fusion academy team.[51] T1 compete in Contenders Korea where they have had middling results since their introduction in early 2020. Fusion University returned as the second academy team for the Philadelphia Fusion in May 2021; Fusion University competes in the Europe region of Contenders.[52]

References

  1. ↑ Fernandez, Bob (20 September 2017). "E-sports goes pro, as Comcast buys a professional 'Overwatch' franchise for Philly". Philly.com. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  2. ↑ Palmeri, Christopher; Smith, Gerry (20 September 2017). "Comcast Buys Philadelphia Esports Team". Bloomberg. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  3. ↑ Stressman, Sydney (April 23, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion Moves to South Philadelphia". Select Greater Philadelphia Council. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Comcast buys into video game league with team in Philly". The Philadelphia Tribune. Associated Press. September 22, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  5. ↑ Booton, Jen (September 20, 2017). "Philadelphia Flyers CEO Joins Esports League Aiming To Mirror Conventional Sports". Sport Techie. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  6. ↑ Goslin, Austen (1 November 2017). "Philadelphia Fusion are the newest addition to the Overwatch League". Heroes Never Die. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  7. ↑ Carpenter, Nicole (3 November 2017). "Philadelphia Fusion announces international Overwatch League roster". Dot Esports. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  8. ↑ Carpenter, Nicole (January 11, 2019). "New York Excelsior, London Spitfire, Philadelphia Fusion impressed fans at Overwatch League day two". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  9. ↑ Luongo, Cody (February 9, 2018). "ESI Gambling Report: Overwatch League Stage 1 Playoffs". Esports Insider. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  10. ↑ Carpenter, Nicole (January 25, 2018). "Philly Fusion's win over NYXL proves no one is unbeatable in the Overwatch League". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  11. ↑ Nguyen, Steven; Craffey, Liam (26 March 2018). "New York Excelsior reverse-sweeps Philadelphia Fusion to win Stage 2". ESPN. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  12. ↑ Lingle, Samuel (June 15, 2018). "Seoul Dynasty's loss cedes an OWL playoff spot to Philadelphia Fusion". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  13. ↑ Waltzer, Noah (28 July 2018). "London Spitfire wins inaugural Overwatch League title". ESPN. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  14. ↑ Bright, Ryan (28 July 2018). "London Spitfire duo master Philadelphia Fusion to claim first Overwatch League title". NBC Sports. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  15. ↑ Shepard, Kate (January 15, 2019). "Overwatch: Fusion Staff's New Roles". The Game Haus. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  16. ↑ Richardson, Liz (March 23, 2019). "Vancouver Titans and San Francisco Shock advance to Overwatch League stage one finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  17. ↑ Howard, Brandon (August 30, 2019). "Overwatch League 2019 Play-Ins Preview". TheGamer. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Charge, Dragons advance in OWL play-in tourney". ESPN. Reuters. August 31, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  19. ↑ Shepard, Kate (October 7, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion: Potential Moves for 2020 [Part II]". The Game Haus. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  20. 1 2 Richardson, Liz (October 25, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion hire new head coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Howard, Brandon (October 24, 2020). "Philadelphia Fusion Add NineK As New Head Coach". The Gamer. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  22. ↑ Field Level Media. "Trio of 5-map thrillers highlight wild day at OWL playoffs". Reuters. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  23. ↑ Richardson, Liz (September 6, 2020). "Paris Eternal, Los Angeles Gladiators eliminated from Overwatch League playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  24. ↑ Richardson, Liz (September 12, 2020). "Shanghai Dragons, San Francisco Shock lock in Overwatch League Grand Finals spots". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  25. ↑ Richardson, Liz (September 13, 2020). "Seoul Dynasty, Philadelphia Fusion round out Overwatch League Grand Finals bracket". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  26. ↑ Alford, Aaron (October 8, 2020). "Shock, Dragons Advance to OWL Winners Bracket Finals". Hotspawn. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  27. ↑ Czar, Michael (October 9, 2020). "Philadelphia Fusion eliminated from Grand Finals weekend". Daily Esports. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  28. ↑ Czar, Michael (October 3, 2020). "Alarm wins Overwatch League Rookie of the Year". Upcomer. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  29. ↑ Richardson, Liz (December 10, 2020). "Philadelphia Fusion relocates to Seoul for the Overwatch League's 2021 season". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  30. ↑ Richardson, Liz (April 10, 2021). "Staying afloat: Philadelphia Fusion 2021 team preview". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  31. ↑ Qu, Bonnie (May 18, 2021). "Mano's quiet consistency masks bigger dreams". Upcomer. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  32. ↑ Czar, Michael (May 3, 2021). "Shanghai Dragons eliminate Philadelphia Fusion from the May Melee". Upcomer. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  33. ↑ Richardson, Liz (September 5, 2021). "San Francisco Shock, Washington Justice advance to Overwatch League playoffs bracket". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  34. ↑ Winter, Emery (September 16, 2021). "Fusion's European players are learning life on the other side of Eurasia". Upcomer. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  35. 1 2 Robertson, Scott (January 5, 2022). "Philadelphia Fusion brings back off-tank Fury, team to remain in Seoul for 2022 OWL season". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  36. ↑ Richardson, Liz (October 12, 2021). "Philadelphia Fusion, London Spitfire hire new head coaches". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  37. ↑ Richardson, Liz (January 5, 2022). "Philadelphia Fusion signs flex support AimGod for 2022 season". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  38. ↑ Fragen, Joradan (December 30, 2022). "OWL's Philadelphia Fusion relocate and rebrand to Seoul Infernal". VentureBeat. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  39. ↑ Tornoe, Rob (December 30, 2022). "Comcast Spectacor to move Philadelphia Fusion to South Korea, rename Overwatch League team". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  40. ↑ Robertson, Scott (December 30, 2022). "Overwatch League fans mourn abandoned team identity after Philadelphia Fusion overhauls branding". Dot Esports. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  41. ↑ Fitch, Adam (January 21, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion receives sponsorship from ARRIS". Esports Insider. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  42. ↑ "Philadelphia Fusion Players and Coaches Unveiled". Busniness Wire. November 3, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  43. 1 2 Chen, Ethan (September 24, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion reveals departure of former head coach". Upcomer. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  44. ↑ Shepard, Kate (October 11, 2019). "Fusion Announce Departure of Head Coaches Hayes and NamedHwi". The Game Haus. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  45. 1 2 Richardson, Liz (October 12, 2021). "Philadelphia Fusion, London Spitfire hire new head coaches". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  46. ↑ "Philadelphia Fusion Reveal Fusion University Contenders Roster". Dexerto. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  47. ↑ "Fusion University". Philadelphia Fusion. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018 – via YouTube.
  48. ↑ O'Brien, Joe (14 May 2018). "Fusion University Wins Overwatch Contenders NA Season One - Final Placements". Dexerto. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  49. ↑ Meyer, Guilherme (14 May 2018). "In Case you Missed Anything: Esports Weekend + Monday News Recap". Inven Global. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  50. ↑ Richardson, Liz (June 2, 2019). "Fusion University moving from North American Contenders to Korean Trials". Dot Esport. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  51. ↑ Fusion University [@fusionuni] (January 15, 2020). "Today, Fusion University officially becomes T1 in Overwatch Contenders Korea" (Tweet). Retrieved March 9, 2021 – via Twitter.
  52. ↑ Czarnowski, Michael (May 23, 2021). "Fusion University return, joining EU Contenders Trials with Fusion players". Upcomer. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
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