Overwatch Contenders’ finals format is changing for season two.
Blizzard is moving the Overwatch Contenders finals to the Overwatch World Cup group stage for North America, Europe, and Pacific events. Two teams will move on to the Overwatch World Cup event to compete in the Contenders finals, which is two less than last season. The matches will be played on the Friday night of each group stage, Blizzard said.
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Overwatch Contenders’ finals for North America will be held Sept. 7 in Los Angeles, while Contenders Pacific will be held Sept. 14 in Bangkok. The European finals will take place at the Paris event on Sept. 21.
There is no information for Contenders finals for China, Korea, and South America. Blizzard said it’s coming soon.
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Though the format change has the potential to put the Overwatch Contenders players on a bigger stage, there is some concern from players. Andreas “Epzz” Wallvingskog, an Overwatch Contenders player for Orgless and Hungry, wrote on Twitter that he’s “disappointed” in Blizzard’s decision to change the amount of qualifying teams from four to two. “[It] makes it even harder to get LAN experience in the tier two scene.”
Overwatch Contenders tournaments are typically played online, making LAN opportunities rare for semi-professional players.
Fans that have bought passes for the Overwatch World Cup already will have access to both events. Tickets are still available for fans that wish to attend the event, however.
