Overwatch League: Everything You Need to Know

By: Funké Joseph
Published: Nov 11, 2016
at 2:34 pm

Blizzard is keeping the Overwatch hype up by announcing a new eSports organization for fans called Overwatch League.

Even though Overwatch‘s second competitive season is coming to an end, that doesn’t mean the eSports scene is. Even if you didn’t get to that rank you wanted, with Overwatch League now every player has a chance to become an eSports star. That’s right! Even xX_Lord_of_Death_Xx, that guy in your games who never switches off of Reaper, can be a household Overwatch name.

Overwatch League is for Everyone

Earlier this week the official Overwatch Twitter account made a tweet announcing the new league. They’re focusing on creating “a world-class sports ecosystem” with a big emphasis on the regular player. It’s a pretty cool concept when you compare it to other eSports scenes where certain players and teams have a monopoly on the whole market. Overwatch League is actually encouraging new gamers by giving them a chance to prove themselves. It’s an equal playing field. And their goal is to eventually make it global.

In the tweet they also linked a trailer for Overwatch League, showcasing an average gamer’s extraordinary journey making it to the big leagues. You can check out the trailer below.

How it Works

Overwatch League is divided into 5 distinct stages: The Announcement, The Preseason, The Inaugural Season, The Championship Run, and Into the Future. Blizzard hasn’t announced an official start day for the Preseason, but they did give a blurb for what players can expect from each stage:

The Announcement
This stage has already happened. It included the tweets revealing the league, the release of the trailers, and the launch of the Overwatch League website.

The Preseason
Proven stars and leaderboard heroes will assemble in one global talent pool. Teams then maneuver to sign the best players and build sturdy rosters for the season ahead.

The Inaugural Season
League action streams live every week, including a standalone primetime matchup between top teams. Game highlights and other features fill in the gaps between game days.

The Championship Run
During epic live events, the very best Overwatch teams compete to become legends as the first-ever Overwatch League world champions.

Into the Future
League expansion in every direction will make the Overwatch League truly global; finishing with an elite tournament where champions battle champions for undisputed supremacy.

Wrapping Up

It seems like a solid plan. And according to the 2016 Nielsen eSports Report and Nielsen Video Game Tracking (VGT) 27% of Overwatch fans say there is a barrier blocking them from getting into eSports which is the lack of live events nearby – something Overwatch League is trying to fix with its global organization. Even though it’s starting in North America, Blizzard aims to expand it to an international scale. Hoping to make sure everyone has a team to root for, no matter where they are in the world. It’s an ambitious move they’re making, and its success depends heavily on how fans react to it. So, what do you think about Overwatch League? Does it have what it takes to compete with the likes of Call of Duty, League of Legends, or Hearthstone?