L’Overwatch Leagueit’s officially over. The official competition on the FPS competitive Blizzard is definitely dead, the studio actually fired a lot of people last July, while the last season was still in full swing. But Blizzard Don’t give up on e-sport though.
L’O.W.L.it was a selection of teams who paid their entry to Blizzard to participate in the tournament, with a big cash prize at stake. But the formula no longer worked, the studio decided to completely review its way of approaching e-sports competitions through several programs around the world. Blizzard explains it all to us:
- The new Overwatch esports ecosystem
Overwatch is, at its core, a competitive game. It is dynamic, rhythmic and particularly shines when two teams of similar level compete for victory.
As a development team, our goal is to give you all the opportunity to experience the emotion that comes with competition, whether it’s allowing you to play with others (with the highs and lows that this entails) or watch the best players from around the world compete live. No competitive game can thrive without an esports program, and Overwatch is no exception. Today, we are pleased to share with you the future of Overwatch esports.
Our philosophy regarding this new chapter is simple: to propose and develop a more open e-sport ecosystem, accessible to everyone, always active, with regional reach, and which will appeal to participants and fans alike. Overwatch 2 is for everyone, so we want to make sure everyone can showcase their talent.
Also, we are pleased to present our brand new Overwatch esports programs.
- Discover the Overwatch Champions Series
In 2024, our esports initiatives will be varied, and it is with joy that we present the first of them: the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS). This is Overwatch’s all-new main international competitive circuit, open to players in North America (NA), Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (EMEA), as well as ‘Asia.
The 2024 season will consist of several competitive stages, with each region having dedicated open qualifiers. You will be able to form your own teams to try to secure a place in the main championship. These steps will culminate in two international public events that will bring together the different regions for a summit clash on the biggest stage in the history of Overwatch esports.
Here’s how OWCS will work for each region.
North America and EMEA: in more detail:
In North America and EMEA, teams will take part in four competitive stages throughout the year, in addition to our two international OWCS events. Each stage will consist of open online qualifiers followed by a main championship during which players will be able to earn circuit points, which will be used to secure a place for international events.
The best teams in each of these stages will earn circuit points. The more a team accumulates, the higher it climbs in the rankings and in the table of each event.
The OWCS stages in North America and EMEA will feature three unique competitive phases: a first in the Swiss system, then a group phase, and finally the main championship. The Swiss stage and then the group stage will form the open qualifiers, during which the teams will try to obtain a place for the main championship. The Swiss stage will bring together (at most) 512 teams, of which only 16 will be able to advance to the group stage. These 16 teams will then compete in groups of four. The top two from each group will then advance to the main championship, a regional double-elimination tournament planned for eight teams and managed by our newest partner, FACEIT.
We will communicate further details regarding the program for the North America and EMEA regions in the future.
FACEIT: an open and sustainable infrastructure for Overwatch esports:
We are pleased to announce our partnership with FACEIT, whose role within the North American and EMEA OWCS will better position us to deliver unparalleled experiences to the esports community. Their platform is an open infrastructure through which all players can find competitions, teams, tables and rankings, for an experience more simplified than ever.
It is this FACEIT system qualified for Overwatch 2 which will give you access to the Overwatch Champions Series in North America and EMEA from March 1, 2024.
Asia: in more detail:
One of the main advantages that this new international regional program gives us is the ability to provide our players with experiences perfectly adapted to the specific needs of said regions. So, the Asia region will operate slightly differently compared to North America and EMEA. It will have three regional subdivisions: Korea, Japan and the Pacific. Each will host several tournaments whose formats will be adapted to its audience and which will directly aim to qualify teams for the OWCS.
In Asia, teams will take part in two competitive stages during the year, each culminating in a specific OWCS international event. Each competitive stage will be managed by WDG. All subdivisions will benefit from dedicated open qualifiers ahead of regional tournaments. The latter will then determine the best teams in each subdivision, which will compete in the two OWCS Asian championships of the year. These will be an opportunity for fans to follow in person their favorite Asian teams, who will compete at the WDG Esports Studio in South Korea for a place in our global tournaments.
WARA.GG will serve exclusively as the registration platform for the open qualifiers of each subdivision and will be your main source of information for everything related to matches, announcements, programs, etc. This is also where you can experience the passion of competition and follow Overwatch and OWCS e-sport events in your region.
We will communicate further details regarding the Asia region program at a later date.
- International public events at DreamHack
We are delighted to partner with DreamHack, whose festivals have long been among the epicenters of video game competition. It’s a true honor to see some of the biggest events in Overwatch esports presented on this stage: in 2024, DreamHack will host two international public OWCS tournaments, the first in mid-summer season, and the second in the fall to mark the end of the season.
The first of these global events, the OWCS Major, will be held at DreamHack in Dallas from May 31 to June 2. This year, the end of the season will also be an opportunity to accomplish what our community has dreamed of for a long time: organizing premier Overwatch esports events in Europe. Thus, the best teams from each of the main regions will travel to DreamHack in Stockholm at the end of the year, where one of them will receive the first ever OWCS champion title.
- Other Overwatch esports programs
In North America and EMEA, in addition to OWCS, players and fans will have many other ways to enjoy Overwatch esports, thanks to new initiatives enabled by FACEIT. It is a real pleasure to provide our players with various opportunities that are as original as they are exciting to compete against each other, starting in the spring. We look forward to sharing more details with you. We will soon communicate to you the entire program for the North America and EMEA regions.
In Asia, in addition to OWCS, you will be able to enjoy other programs made possible by WDG Esports.
The WDG Cup is a unique playoff tournament open to all teams in the Asia region and will be held during the OWCS Asia off-season. Due to its open format, it encourages all teams to participate to deliver remarkable performances.
The WDG Academic Tournament will be a regular competitive meeting during which students (university, high school or college) wishing to play Overwatch 2 will be able to represent their establishment as well as their community. It will take place four times a year, so that students have frequent opportunities to compete and improve.
In North America and EMEA, the first OWCS Open Qualifiers will be held shortly after Calling All Heroes 2023-2024 concludes in February. The competition will begin in March. In Asia, they will take place in February.
A more open, more varied competition, organized with collaborators, like what has been done elsewhere for years, Blizzard completely changes its approach, and that’s good for Overwatch 2 and its community. The studio answers most fan questions in an FAQ, but we will still have to wait to find out on which platform these competitions will be broadcast. As a reminder, the community did not really appreciate the exclusivity partnership with Youtubepreferring him Twitch.
Overwatch 2 is, as a reminder, playable in free-to-play on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch, you can find products derived from the franchise on Amazon, Cdiscount And there Fnac.