Blizzard, ESL Group to Partner on Overwatch Champions Series

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., makers of Overwatch 2, and the ESL FaceIt Group have announced a multi-year agreement to create the Overwatch Champions Series open to players across North America, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.

ESL will operate the Overwatch Champions Series in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and North America. The OWCS will feature two tournaments in 2024 at DreamHack events, the first being eight teams in Dallas from May 31 through June 2 for the DreamHack Dallas Major. Teams will also come together in Sweden for the World Finals at DreamHack Stockholm from November 22­–24, the first live Tier 1 Overwatch competition in Europe in more than five years.

“OWCS introduces a new era of Overwatch esports while honoring the traditions and passion built by Overwatch esports,” said Craig Levine, co-chief executive officer, ESL FaceIt Group. “Together with Blizzard Entertainment, EFG is well-positioned to create a truly global experience on the FaceIt platform and at DreamHack festivals.”

An Asia OWCS circuit will operate under WDG, an esports tournament organizer based in Korea. Each region will have its own set of open qualifiers and tournaments, culminating with two live in-person international events. In addition to establishing EFG as the operator of the series, the deal enables Blizzard Entertainment to take advantage of EFG’s properties to create an open, inclusive and sustainable competitive community.

“A thriving esports scene is important to a game as competitive as Overwatch 2 and we’re very excited to be entering this next era for the franchise with EFG,” said Jared Neuss, executive producer of Overwatch 2.

Per the partnership, FaceIt will also provide an open infrastructure for all amateur and pro players in the Overwatch 2 community. Users will be able to take advantage of FaceIt’s community features to find a network of players to connect with and events of all scales to compete in.