Overwatch has consistently adapted to the changing times and, as the Overwatch League 2023 season 3 begins, it is dedicated to serving a wider player base than ever before.
The league is heading in a new direction by welcoming in more competitors and creating more opportunities for Overwatch Contenders teams to join the action. This will occur via a pro-am tournament in the West and a more open ecosystem in the East.
In the first community update of the year, Soe Gschwind is joined by Overwatch League Head Sean Miller and Matt “Mr. X” Morello to discuss the significant changes for this season.
Here is a comprehensive overview of the Overwatch League 2023 Season 3:
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Spring and Summer Stages
- The season will be split into Spring and Summer Stages, anchored by two global LAN events: the Midseason Madness Global Tournament and Grand Finals.
- Teams will remain divided into West and East regions, with the East featuring a more open ecosystem that offers the opportunity for select Contenders teams to qualify for and participate in Overwatch League play.
- The Overwatch League competition starts on March 23 with a 3-week pro-am tournament in the West that showcases both Overwatch League and Contenders teams. Overwatch League circuit play in both regions begins on April 27.
- League standings will now be determined by the overall record in regional qualifiers, instead of League Points.
- The Overwatch League will have more opportunities to engage fans in Overwatch esports between major league events through Overwatch World Cup qualifiers and small tournaments during certain bye weeks.
- The format for the second half of the season will mirror the first. This will ultimately lead to the playoffs and Grand Finals; more details will be announced later.
Spring Stage Format
- In the West, teams will compete in Spring Stage Qualifiers to determine the seeding for Spring Stage Knockouts and Midseason Madness qualification.
- In the East, Open Division and Contenders teams will hold a series of competitions to determine who will compete with Overwatch League teams.
- Regional tournaments in South Korea, Asia Pacific (APAC), and Australia/New Zealand (ANZ) will produce a field of 12 teams. These teams will then compete in Spring Stage Opens, concurrent to round-robin Spring Stage Qualifiers action at the Overwatch League level.
- The top teams from Spring Stage Opens will then join the Overwatch League teams for Spring Stage Knockouts. This will determine the Midseason Madness qualification.
Midseason Madness – Overwatch League 2023 Season 3
- The Midseason Madness Global Tournament will consist of 6 teams. Basically, 4 teams will be from the West and 2 teams from the East. The tournament will be in a double-elimination bracket.
- The top 2 seeded teams from the West region Spring Stage Qualifiers will qualify directly into the Midseason Madness. The other 2 teams will earn their place via Spring Stage Knockouts.
- The 2 teams representing the East will qualify through their own regional Spring Stage Knockouts.
- The Overwatch League plans to share more live event details in the coming weeks.
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West Region Pro-Am – Overwatch League 2023 Season 3
- Competition in the West will start with a three-week pro-am tournament starting March 23. This gives Contenders teams in the NA/EMEA regions the opportunity to compete against Overwatch League teams.
- A series of Contenders tournaments in late February will qualify teams to join the West region Overwatch League teams. This will occur in a 20-team field.
- The Overwatch League will split 20 teams into 4 groups of 5 for two weeks of round-robin group play. Afterward, the top 2 from each group will play in an 8-team single-elimination bracket in the third week.
- The winning team will receive US $100K.
- You can get more information on how a team can register and qualify through Open Division and Contenders. Basically, just keep an eye on the Overwatch Path to Pro channels.
