Summary
Blizzard has announced an exclusive, multi-year partnership with esports company ESL FACEIT Group forOverwatch 2esports events. Previously,professionalOverwatchesports eventswere held as part of the now-defunct Overwatch League.
The Overwatch League lasted from 2017 to 2023, with six seasons each culminating in a Grand Finals championship match. London Spitfire won in 2018, San Francisco Shock won back-to-back years in 2019 and 2020, Shanghai Dragons took home the crown in 2021, Dallas Fuel claimed victory in 2022, and Florida Mayhem won the final Overwatch League season in 2023. TheOverwatch League may have come to an end, but Blizzard isn’t giving up onOverwatch 2esports.
The newly-announced partnership between Blizzard and ESL FACEIT Group will see the formation of the Overwatch Champions Series, or OWCS. The OWCS is described as an “esports circuit that is open, always-on, and global” with players from North America, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia all able to participate. The OWCS will have qualifiers and tournament events that culminate “with two live in-person international events.” Two tournaments will be held in 2024. First, eightOverwatch 2teams will compete in Dallas, Texas from May 31 to June 2 as part of the DreamHack Dallas Major double-elimination tournament. Then the World Finals tournament will be held in Sweden as part of DreamHack Stockholm from November 22 to November 24. The winner of this tournament will claim the first OWCS Championship.
Overwatch Championship Series Tournaments
Since Xbox completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard,Overwatch 2fans have been more optimistic about the hero-shooter’s future. TheupcomingOverwatch 2Season 9sounds like it’s going to make a lot of fan favorite changes that could go a long way in not only attracting new players, but bringing in lapsed players as well. This revitalization ofOverwatch 2’s esports scene could also play a role in drumming up more interest in the game, but some fans still upset about the Overwatch League’s closure may not be convinced.
What’s clear is that 2024 is going to be a very interesting year forOverwatch 2.Overwatch 2fans can expect new heroes, maps, game modes, and more on top of the game’s new esports scene, and it will be exciting to see how it all comes together in the months ahead.
