The Overwatch Champions Series will take place in 2024 and will be the first of the new competition after OWL was discontinued, we look at what this new tournament will contain.
2024 Overwatch Champions Series Preview
The Overwatch League which is also known simply as OWL was introduced back in 2018, the format has changed from year to year thus far, 2018 we saw four stages in which there was a winner for each stage and then a grand final, in 2019 there were only three stages before the grand finals and in 2020 due to circumstances, there was both a North American and Asia leagues with multiple sections throughout the season.
The 2022 Overwatch League season was played on an early build of Overwatch 2, this was before the game itself was released, due to this the minimum roster number was been reduced to five whilst the maximum remained at twelve.
2023 was the final year of the Overwatch League with the tournament being discontinued, however, it has been replaced with the new Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) which will now have an open qualification and tournament format.
Where can I watch the Overwatch Champions Series?
Head over to the official Overwatch Champions Series YouTube channel where you can watch live action as well as matches from previous events and also news on the league and players. You can also get plenty of action on the Official Overwatch Champions Series on Twitch.
Where can I get Overwatch Champions Series results?
The best place to get Overwatch Champions Series schedules and results is on the Overwatch Champions Series Liquipedia page.
Do you have an Overwatch Guide?
On OLBG, we have a dedicated eSports guide to cover all of your needs.
What is the Overwatch Game?
Unlike a lot of video games, Overwatch is purely a team-based game, it’s a multiplayer first-person shooter which means you view the game in the first person which means you are playing as if you are controlling yourself, you will only see certain parts of your character, like arms and legs when they are in use, the game was developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment.
The games involved twelve players, six players on each team with each of those players selecting from a list of ‘Heroes’ with each hero coming with a set of unique abilities. There are several game modes in the game but the two major ones are where the teams have to secure an area of the map and the other being where teams have to advance payloads from one point to another.
The game was released in May 2016 on Windows, PS4, and Xbox One and then was later released in October 2019 on Nintendo Switch, the game undergoes general updates of maps and game modes, and in April 2020, the developers expanded the hero roster adding eleven heroes taking the total to 32.
The Overwatch Champions Series will use the Overwatch 2 game, in this game, the number of players involved is reduced to ten in a five-on-five format which will be made up of two damage, two supports, and one tank player.
There have also been tweaks and reworks of the ‘Heroes’ as well as a new game mode called ‘Push’ which involves teams fighting to control a robot.
To understand how the game is played and to witness the fast pace, take a look at this YouTube video with some action from the 2020 Grand Finals
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Who are the Previous Overwatch League Winners?
Sadly due to missed revenue targets and declining viewing figures, the Overwatch League came to an end in 2023, here are the teams who won during the six years of the tournament.
| Tournament | Champions | Runners-Up | Grand Final MVP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Overwatch League | Florida Mayhem | Houston Outlaws | MER1T |
| 2022 Overwatch League | Dallas Fuel | San Francisco Shock | Fearless |
| 2021 Overwatch League | Shanghai Dragons | Atlanta Reign | LIP |
| 2020 Overwatch League | San Francisco Shock | Seoul Dynasty | Kwon “Striker” Nam-joo |
| 2019 Overwatch League | San Francisco Shock | Vancouver Titans | Choi “ChoiHyoBin” Hyo-Bin |
| 2018 Overwatch League | London Spitfire | Philadelphia Fusion | Park “Profit” Joon-Yeong |
What is the 2024 Overwatch Champions Series Format?
This tournament will feature players from North America, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (EMEA), and Asia who will initially compete in regional stages for places at the finals.
There will be two main events that the teams will be competition to be a part of, first of all, the Overwatch Champions Series 2024 Major which will take place between the 31st of May and the 2nd of June.
This event will feature three teams from North America, three from EMEA, and then two from Asia with the tournament taking place in Dallas.
The other will be the season-ending Overwatch Champions Series 2024 Finals which is set to take place in Stockholm between the 22nd and the 24th of November where there Champions will be crowned.
The finals will be made up of stage winners and also teams who have accumulated the most circuit points from their regions with only eight teams featuring in the finals.
- North American Stage 4 Winners
- North American Circuit Points (1st)
- North American Circuit Points (2nd)
- EMEA Stage 4 Winners
- EMEA Circuit Points (1st)
- EMEA Circuit Points (2nd)
- Asia Stage 2 Winners
- Asia Stage 2 Runners-Up
