Esports Thrills Return with Overwatch 2, Folks!

• Introduction of Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) after Overwatch League's end.
• OWCS, partnering with ESL FACEIT Group, caters to three regions: NA, EMEA, Asia.
• The league format of OWCS is open-circuit, with player-created squads.
• OWCS will host its own major, in-person tournament, in collaboration with DreamHack.
• Despite Overwatch 2's struggles, OWCS remains hopeful for the Overwatch community.

Overwatch Champions Series: A New Beginning

The characters stand, gazing at the sunset with the Overwatch Champions Series emblem proudly displayed beneath them.

This image is the symbol of a new era for Overwatch esports, after the Overwatch League, which adopted an NFL-like franchise model, met its unfortunate end last year. The league, despite being the brainchild of former Blizzard president Bobby Kotick, struggled due to high buy-ins, the impact of the covid pandemic on in-person events, and other factors.

However, Blizzard assured fans that something new would emerge from the ashes of the Overwatch League. True to their word, they introduced the Overwatch Champions Series, or OWCS.

Introducing Overwatch Champions Series

The Overwatch Champions Series was announced on January 23. It is described as Blizzard's "new premiere international competitive circuit", and will be open to players from three regions: North America, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa (EMEA), and Asia. The league will partner with the ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), an esports platform that will assist pro and amateur players in finding Overwatch 2 tournaments, help organize third-party competitions, streamline statistics, and generally make the esports experience easier for players.

The decision to partner with FACEIT, which has managed esports leagues for games like Rainbow Six Siege, Counter-Strike 2, and League of Legends, seems smart. With the absence of the city-based, franchise formula, the league will need a hub where all pro and amateur players can gather, check stats, and find tournaments.

"A thriving esports scene is important to a game as competitive as Overwatch 2, and we're very excited to be entering this next era for the franchise with EFG," said executive producer Jared Neuss.

A New League Format

Unlike the Overwatch League, the OWCS won't consist of city-based teams. Instead, it will follow an open-circuit model similar to competitive Dota 2 and CS:GO leagues. Tournaments will consist of player-created squads that participate in open qualifiers in hopes of making it to the main event in their region. In North America and EMEA, teams will compete in four competitive stages throughout 2024, along with two international OWCS competitions. The OWCS will kick-off in NA and EMEA on March 1, 2024, and there's hope for a controller league as well.

The OWCS will also host its own major, in-person tournament similar to the OWL Grand Finals. Thanks to a partnership with DreamHack, another ESL company known for organizing gaming conventions and esports tournaments, there will be two major OWCS events this year: a summer tournament and a major finale event in the fall. The OWCS Major will take place at DreamHack Dallas from May 31 to June 2, while the grand finale will take place at DreamHack Stockholm, which will host and crown the first-ever OWCS champions.

Despite the struggles that Overwatch 2 has faced since it replaced the original hero shooter in late 2022, its esports league has remained a beacon of hope and solidarity for the passionate Overwatch community. It's encouraging to see that Blizzard has kept its promise to keep Overwatch esports alive through the OWCS.

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