Blizzard released a new blog update and video this week outlining the future of Overwatch esports following last year’s discontinuation of the Overwatch League.
OWL’s replacement will be the Overwatch Champions Series (or OWCS), shifting Overwatch esports to an open, regional ecosystem.
The new 2024 season will be split into multiple stages across North America, Europe, Middle East, and North Africa, and Asia. The NA and EMEA regions will consist of four stages, each with Open Qualifiers and Main Events. Points accrued over the course of these stages will be used to determine qualification into OWCS international events. Blizzard has partnered with FACEIT to facilitate OWCS in the NA and EMEA regions.
The Asia region will be split into three regional subdivisions, including South Korea, Japan, and Pacific. Unlike the NA and EMEA regions, Asia will have two stages each year, along with the aforementioned international OWCS events. Blizzard has partnered with WDG to operate competitive stages in the Asia region, while WARA.GG will exclusively facilitate registrations.
Blizzard is partnering with DreamHack for two live international OWCS events in the 2024 season: the OWCS Major at DreamHack Dallas and the Season Finals at DreamHack Stockholm.
OWCS Open Qualifiers are set to begin shortly after the current season wraps up in February. Competition will begin in February in the Asia region and March for North America and EMEA.
