The Overwatch League is officially gone. However, the Overwatch 2 competitive scene is far from dead as Blizzard recently announced the new tournament that will be replacing OWL in the near future called the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS).
What is It?
The OWCS is Overwatch 2's new premiere international competitive circuit that is open to all players across multiple regions in the world, including North America (NA), the EMEA (composed of countries from Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa), and Asia.
Unlike the Overwatch League, which was mostly available for pro players within North America, OWCS allows highly competent Overwatch 2 players from all over the world to join. This means that people who have the skills can form their own groups as opposed to getting endorsed by major professional teams.
Now, each region will have its own set of Open Qualifiers, allowing teams to battle it out for a spot in the main event. Those who are going to participate will have a chance to earn circuit points by finishing at the top of each of the qualifying events.
For those who are interested in joining the open qualifiers, the first stage will commence sometime in February for the Asia region and March for the NA and EMEA. Blizzard has put up an official blog post that contains more information about these upcoming tournaments.
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Positive Reception
So, what does the Overwatch 2 community have to say about all of this? The general sentiment seems to be quite positive.
Redditor Bratt-pack said that the OWCS was more than they had expected from Overwatch eSports this year.
Another Redditor even urges Blizzard to open some servers specifically for South American players, especially since a lot of people from this region are quite passionate about their teams.
While some players have expressed their glee over the new face of Overwatch eSports, there are some who are a bit skeptical, particularly because FaceIt is involved in all of this.
For those who don't know, FaceIt is a London-based company that was purchased by the Savvy Media group, which is part of the Saudi Wealth Fund.
Now, it remains to be seen if there will be an influx of KSA players in the upcoming tournaments. But, it is good that Blizzard now opens its doors to more players who want to join the game's competitive scene.
What can you say about the OWCS? Let us know in the comments!
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