$100,000 North American Overwatch tournament announced

Rocket League Championship Series tournament producers Next Generation Esports (NGE) will hold a $100,000 Overwatch tournament in partnership with Blizzard Entertainment.

NGE’s Overwatch Winter Premiere tournament is open to all North American Overwatch teams for its online qualifiers, which begin in December 2016. Eight teams will move on to a three-week double round robin–style group stage, followed by a two day live event held at the NGE studios in Burbank, Calif.

“Blizzard has been extremely selective about third parties representing Overwatch esports,” Marc Koenig, marketing director at NGE, told Dot Esports. “By supporting the Winter Premiere as a top-tier, official Overwatch event with generous prizing, Blizzard has show their commitment to providing high quality third-party esports events that push the Overwatch scene forward with a greater variety of shows and formats.”

The Overwatch Winter Premiere is the last “completely open, official, top-tier event of 2016 for North American Overwatch players,” Koenig added. “It’s a chance for top players to prove themselves at a unique time in the game’s life, right before a new year of competition.”

Holding a North American–only tournament was important for NGE in regards to celebrating regional talent, allowing for a focus on championing great players in a crisp way, Koenig said. With the open format, any North American team worthy of the Winter Premiere title can prove themselves?—?or confirm their spot among the Overwatch elite. “We want to tell those teams’ stories,” Koenig added.

Open qualifiers for the Overwatch Winter Premiere begin Dec. 10.