For competitive players of Blizzard Entertainment's hit first-person shooter Overwatch, a new tournament opportunity has just arisen. The Overwatch Open Tournament is a brand new collaboration between tournament organizer FACEIT and ELEAGUE, the e-sports project spearheaded by Turner Broadcasting System and William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, LLC. Overwatch Open is a multi-month long endeavor between North American and European players, competing for a share of the $300,000 prize pool, noted to be the largest yet in competitive Overwatch tournament history.
Open play will begin online starting today, July 23, 2016, culminating with playoff rounds August 26 through August 28, 2016. The top eight teams in the North American and European Regionals will advance to the Regional Finals, which will be hosted at the Atlanta, Georgia ELEAGUE Turner Studios Arena (with live coverage on Twitch). The North American Regional Finals will be held September 25 and 26, 2016, with the European Regional Finals following after on September 28 and 29. The winning team of each Regional will earn a spot in the Grand Finals and a chance at $100,000; the second place team in each Regional will win $24,000, the third and fourth place teams $18,000, and $6,000 for fifth through eighth place.
The Overwatch Open Grand Finals will be broadcast live on TBS and Twitch September 30, 2016, from the Atlanta ELEAGUE Arena. The winning team will receive the $100,000 grand prize, with the runner-up walking away with $32,000.
Spectators can watch the Twitch live coverage of the open play through the Overwatch Open Twitch channel; if you're interested in competing, the registration links for the North American and European qualifiers are currently available. Players should note that check-in for the European qualifier begins in under two and a half hours from the time this article is posted; North American players have under seven and a half hours for their check-in.
Stay tuned to TechRaptor for continuing coverage of Overwatch Open and all things Overwatch.
What are your thoughts on the Overwatch Open? What are your thoughts on the finals being broadcast on live television, and do you plan on watching it? Let us know in the comment section below.
