London Overwatch League team named 'London Spitfire' after WW2 warplane

Billed as the "first major global professional esports league", the Overwatch League comprises 12 city-based teams across Asia, Europe, and North America. Today, the league's London franchise has been named 'London Spitfire', unveiling its colours and logo in the process. 

The chosen palette is partly owed to owner Cloud9, however the London Spitfire logo itself is after the Supermarine Spitfire—a British fighter plane that's most famously associated with the Battle of Britain in the second World War. 

"The Spitfire itself and the orange of the team's colors are a nod to Lena 'Tracer' Oxton, the British Overwatch hero who was a member of the RAF in the game’s lore," reads a statement featured on the league's news feed. "The Supermarine Spitfire was the name of a British fighter plane that was flown in the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain in World War 2, and it is this spirit of bravery under fire that imbues the team's identity."

London mayor Sadiq Khan praised the newly-named team: "London leads the world in creativity and cutting-edge technology and the city’s games and esports industry plays a major part in that success. Good luck to all those representing the capital on the London Spitfire team in the Overwatch League."