[ad_1]
It will be a long winter as we wait for the Overwatch League to return in 2021. But to reassure us, the league released a video outlining some of Blizzard’s plans for this year’s offseason and the 2021 season in general.
The video, narrated by Overwatch Esports VP Jon Spector, notably indicates that the league will delay opening day. For the past three seasons, the League has started in January or February, but in 2021, the League will start on an unspecified date in the spring. According to Spector, this gives teams and operations more time to plan due to the lingering uncertainty of the covid-19 pandemic. Since there was no mention of the relaunch of the popular ‘Homestand’ model, which had teams hosting a weekend of matches in their home towns, it’s safe to assume that, at least for the first part of season, matches will be played online.
The new tournament-focused schedule, first introduced in 2020, will return in 2021. Every two months in the latter part of the 2020 season, teams would compete in a tournament similar to the stage tournaments in Seasons 1 and 2. No word yet on whether there will be more than the three tournaments in 2020, but Spector noted that the 2021 tournaments may feature different formats.
The regions will also be back in 2021. Last season, the League split into two regions: North America and Asia-Pacific. Spector has not confirmed if these two regions will return or if they will be further divided into divisions like their Contenders regions have been in the past. It is also unclear whether the teams will be mixed to create a better balance between regions. Currently, the North American region is currently home to 13 teams, while the APAC region hosts the remaining seven.
G / O Media can get commission
Although the League won’t begin until spring 2021, Spector has teased some offseason events to keep fans engaged. Overwatch League semi-professional Contenders League circuit revives its popularity Gauntlet Series for the 2020 OWL offseason. Overwatch League will also feature in 2021 Blizzconline Event. Blizzcon has typically hosted the Overwatch World Cup. Since the convention will be held exclusively online in 2021, Overwatch Esports will still be present in the form of a ‘Shock vs The World’ tournament, in which the dream teams of the Overwatch League will face off against the champions of Season 2. and 3 in a variety of demonstration matches.
Watching the video, eagle-eyed fans may have noticed a checklist behind Spector with insider information such as the “script” for 2021, suggesting that the storyline of the year was planned at. advance. While the great stories of the League are too chaotic to be mapped out by a deadly hand, hopefully plans to nerf San Francisco Shock and their Coach Crusty come to fruition. It’s time to get some blood at the top of the rankings.
[ad_2]
Source link