You can bet we’ll be keeping our eyes on it, but the question remains: Will Overwatch get the viewership it needs to stick around?
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Though it’s not quite League of Legends-popular in competitive circles, a new partnership between ELEAGUE and FACEIT is giving it a push in that direction with an upcoming Overwatch Open Tournament to be broadcast on Twitch and TBS. The Grand Finals will also be streamed on Twitch but will have simultaneous live coverage on TBS.
Everything begins July 23 and the online rounds will finish with playoffs to be played from August 26-28, and the top eight teams from each of the regional playoffs will advance to the finals.
The Overwatch Open will comprise an online phase run by FACEIT for European and North American teams, as well as Regional and Grand Finals, which will take place at Turner Studios’ ELEAGUE arena in Atlanta. Remember this is an open tournament so anyone who has a team, official or not, can sign up to play and you can do so here.
“This opportunity to feature Blizzard’s popular Overwatch further expands our esports offerings and aligns ELeague with a game that is widely embraced by the community”, Turner Sports Chief Content Officer and EVP Craig Berry said in a press release.
This is the largest Overwatch tournament to date, and will likely serve as something of a proving ground for Overwatch as a premier esport, at least in the early days of the game. Not to mention, aside from the game’s top streamers (such as Luminosity’s Seagull), there really haven’t been any superstar players that have garnered a massive fanbase. With Overwatch’s overwhelming popularity across the gaming sphere, it seems like a no-brainer to invite viewers and participants. On June 14, the game’s developer, Blizzard, announced that it had reached over 10 million players across the globe.
Hype is a lovely thing to watch for a new title in the esports market, but like the wind, it can stop blowing just as quick as it started.
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IMG will be handling global distribution on behalf of ELEAGUE and FACEIT. This will be the ultimate proof of concept for a game that’s still having spectator issues, as well as one that’s not exactly the most spectator friendly – its high speed and colorful effects will make it extremely hard to follow for a general television audience.
