Goodbye OWL, Hello Overwatch Champions Series

Blizzard Entertainment has officially transitioned its competitive Overwatch 2 ecosystem away from the franchised Overwatch League model, replacing it with the newly formed Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS). This strategic shift follows the dissolution of the previous league, which occurred after team owners voted to exit the franchise system at the end of 2023. The new program is designed to be an open, global, and continuous circuit, marking a departure from the closed-franchise structure that previously defined the professional Overwatch landscape.

The operational responsibility for the new series has been delegated to the ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), which will manage competitions across North America and the EMEA region. In Asia, the tournament organizer WDG will oversee operations. The OWCS structure integrates online qualifiers via the FACEIT platform with high-profile, in-person events hosted by DreamHack. The 2024 calendar is anchored by two major international tournaments: the DreamHack Dallas Major, scheduled for late May and early June, and the World Finals at DreamHack Stockholm in November.

This initiative aims to foster a more accessible path-to-pro environment while supporting third-party tournament organizers and community-led events. While specific financial terms of the partnership between Blizzard and EFG remain undisclosed, the move represents a significant restructuring of the Overwatch 2 esports scene under the ownership of Microsoft. By leveraging EFG’s existing infrastructure—which is backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund through Savvy Games Group—Blizzard intends to sustain a global competitive presence for the title through a more flexible, open-circuit format.