Blizzard officially announces Overwatch League

Details for Blizzard’s new Overwatch League have been announced at BlizzCon.

A few weeks ago, Activision Blizzard’s CEO mentioned in an interview that that Blizzard will be creating an Overwatch League for professional Overwatch play. At BlizzCon’s Opening Ceremony, that league was officially confirmed.

It seems that Blizzard wants to have the Overwatch League resemble other sports’ leagues as much as possible. First, teams will represent a major city. Usually, teams are formed by established gaming associations and only represent that organization. With this city-based model, Blizzard is obviously hoping that geography will be a driving force behind creating loyal fanbases.

Blizzard also plans to expand the league, adding teams from all over the world over time.

Team owners will have a chance to bid on their team location. Once a bid is accepted, that team will be permanently in the league to promote league stability. To promote player stability, players in the league will have written contracts that guarantee compensation and benefits.

And how will these players be decided? Early next year, Blizzard will host a combine where top players will be invited to showcase their skill. All team owners will have a chance to observe the talent pool, and following the combine, there will be a signing period where rosters are set.

Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard plans for the Overwatch League to have both a regular season and a post-season. Regular season play will be conducted over remote, LAN play. The post-season playoff will see teams facing each other live, and will also give fans a chance to watch the matches in person.

To accompany actual gameplay, Blizzard will also be launching an Overwatch League website, dedicated to bringing fans news about their favorite players and teams.

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“Our hope is to establish the Overwatch League as a professional career path,” Blizzard has stated, “open to any and all of the world’s most competitive players.”

Now that we know what the Overwatch League will look like, are you excited? Let us know in the comments below.