2018 looks to be a promising year for Overwatch. The Overwatch League, the premier league of Overwatch pro play, will begin on January 10, 2018. Under that, the lower league of the Overwatch Contenders will be expanded to 7 regions, adding on South America and Australia to the original 5 (North America, Europe, Korea, China, and the Pacific.) The Contenders system will have 3 seasons throughout the year and the teams eligible will be competing for prize money. Individually, this also gives their players exposure as to be noticed and signed by Overwatch League teams.
Going down to the minor leagues, the Overwatch Open Division has also been revamped. Almost all regions (except China and Korea) have shifted organizers, moving from ESL to Battlefy. The Open Division has also removed its Masters rank restriction, allowing any players of any skill rating to join. For 5 regular season weeks, registered teams will play in a Swiss format bracket. There will be 2 matches for each week, and the 6th week will be a double elimination playoff round between the top 16 teams per region. For teams who top their respective Open Division regions, they will be invited to the new Contenders Trials. The Contenders Trials is a promotion and relegation system, allowing Open Division champion teams to rise to the Contenders league by taking a spot and relegating a previous Overwatch Contenders team back to the Open Division.
The Open Division is the first step to any Overwatch player’s dream of joining the Overwatch League. The first season of the Overwatch Open Division starts this weekend, with the schedule as follows:
Match Schedule (2 matches per week, 1 on Saturday, 1 on Sunday) Week 1: January 6th — 7th, 2018 Week 2: January 13th — 14th, 2018 Week 3: January 20th — 21st, 2018 Week 4: January 27th — 28th, 2018 Week 5: February 3rd — 4th, 2018 Week 6 (Playoffs): February 10th — 11th, 2018
To check out the participating teams, check out the following regions: North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and the Pacific. There is also a full set of rules available for the Open Division Season 1 2018. Players are given the option to stream their perspectives, with a 3-minute delay required for their respective streams.