Overwatch Esports Ecosystem Update – The Overwatch Champions Series & More (HUGE NEWS)

| Tags: | Author
Overwatch Esports Ecosystem Update – The Overwatch Champions Series & More (HUGE NEWS)

Are you ready to learn everything about the future of Overwatch Esports? Let’s dive into the new Overwatch Esports ecosystem. 

Following the news regarding the Overwatch League from a few months ago, the entire Overwatch community was expecting to see the news regarding the game’s competitive scene.

After waiting for a while, we finally have news about the future of Overwatch Esports. According to the most recent information, the idea behind the new Overwatch Esports Ecosystem is to open to anyone, granted that person has the needed skills.

Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS)

The first new addition to the Overwatch Esports scene is called the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS). This will be a premier international competitive circuit that will be available in Europe, North America, the Middle East and North Africa, and Asia. 

According to Blizzard, the 2024 season will offer loads of events, and each region will have Open Qualifiers, where the best teams will earn a place in the Main Event. Speaking if the devil, this will culminate in two in-person international tournaments, “bringing the regions together for the pinnacle of Overwatch play on the largest stage ever for Overwatch Esports”.

NA & MENA In OWCS

Blizzard were kind enough to provide us with more information about the OWCS and how it would work. For example, NA and EMEA (Middle East + North Africa) will take part in 4 stages throughout the year, as well as in two International OWCS competitions. These stages will feature an Open Qualifier and a Main Event, allowing players to earn points that they will need for the international event.

MORE FROM ESTNN
Overwatch 2 Maps Guide: The Best Heroes for Each Map in 2024

The OWCS stages in these two regions will consist of three event phases:

  • Swiss
  • Groups 
  • Main Event

What’s interesting is that all of these phases will run through FACEIT, which is the new official partner of the Overwatch Esports Ecosystem.

FACEIT’s Role in Overwatch Esports

 Overwatch Esports Ecosystem Update - The Overwatch Champions Series
via Faceit

Alongside the changes related to the OWCS, Blizzard also announced the brand’s official partnership with FACEIT. The Overwatch 2 FACEIT collaboration will have an effect on the North American and EMA OWCS regions. The event will begin on March 1.

Asia in OWCS

Even though Overwatch 2 fans thought that the Asian region would be like the two mentioned earlier, this is not the case. To provide users with a better experience, Blizzard decided to have three regional subdivisions here:

  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Pacific

Each of these subdivisions will have many events where teams will get the chance to qualify for the Overwatch Champions Series.

What’s also interesting is that the teams in Asia will take part in two competitive stages and each one will have an international OWCS tournament. Like NA & MENA, each competitive stage here will have its own Open Quals and a Regional Tournament. 

Players who wish to register for the Asian OWCS will need to do that through WARA.GG. 

Live Events at DreamHack

Overwatch Esports Ecosystem Update - The Overwatch Champions Series
via Flickr

Alongside everything mentioned so far, the Overwatch Esports scene also partners with DreamHack. We will see two international OWCS events at Dreamhack in 2024. The first one will take place in the summer at DreamHack Dallas (May 31 – June 2), whereas the second one will be in the fall. 

MORE FROM ESTNN
Overwatch 2 Maps Guide: The Best Heroes for Each Map in 2024

Additional Overwatch Esports Programs

The news regarding the Overwatch Champions Series is huge, but this will not be the only new thing in Overwatch Esports. EMEA and North America will have access to other smaller events thanks to FACEIT. We do not have any information about them yet, but Blizzard will share more details soon. 

Asian Overwatch 2 players are also not left behind. Courtesy of WDG Esports, players can take part in the following:

  • WDG Cup – This competition will run during the OWCS off-season and will be open to all teams.
  • WDG Scholastic Tournament – An event for collegiate, as well as high school and middle-school students. 

Conclusion

The changes to the Overwatch Esports Ecosystem are massive, and this is just the beginning. We expect Blizzard to provide us with even more information in the future, so stay tuned for more. In the meantime, don’t forget to check some of the best counterpicks for every hero in 2024 if you want to dominate in your competitive games.

Overwatch Esports Ecosystem Update – The Overwatch Champions Series & More (HUGE NEWS)
Zlosterr
Zlosterr has been a fan of esports for many years and mainly focuses on Dota 2. He has more than five years of experience writing Dota 2 content for numerous platforms. Besides being a passionate fan of the game, he's also played for various amateur teams.