The Overwatch League 2022 has started its regular season. It is already being played in Overwatch 2, which is currently in beta. How are the pros doing in the new game?
Overwatch was a big hit for Activision Blizzard and one of the game company’s titles that established itself in eSports. Now, the sequel “Overwatch 2” has entered the beta phase, with a full release scheduled in 2023.
The pros, however, have already jumped into the new game. The first competition has kicked off with the Overwatch League 2022 regular season.
What changes with Overwatch 2?
The two games are basically very similar. Overwatch 2 is not an all-round renewal of the game principle, a large part of the established content can also be found in the successor. Nevertheless, there are some differences that pros still have to get used to.
Probably the most important change is the reduction in the size of the teams, from six players on each side to five per selection. Furthermore, there is a new mode, new maps and playable heroes. The old maps and heroes have also been changed for the sequel, in some cases significantly.
In addition, the game is still in a testing phase and is therefore constantly changing. During the tournament series, new strategies, team compositions and line-ups can be expected on a regular basis.
Online qualifier is followed by offline tournament
The OWL 2022 season kicked off with the so-called “Kickoff Clash”, which started on 5 May. First, all teams play against each other in a qualifier round that takes place online. This will be followed by an offline tournament from 2 to 5 June. This is also the mode in which the remaining three tournaments of this season will be played before the big play-offs start.
The “Kickoff Clash” is divided into two divisions, West and East, with respectively 13 and seven teams per division. The western division has already opened the season, while the eastern division kicks off on 13 May. A prize pool of 225,000 US dollars will be played for.
Strong debut for Shock and Gladiators
In the West, some veterans of Overwatch eSports, such as London Spitfire, Los Angeles Gladiators or San Francisco Shock, are once again in the mix. Especially the latter two organisations have mastered the transition to the new game brilliantly. Both the Shock and the Gladiators won their first two games and thus confirmed their status as favourites.
The West Division continues on 20 May, preceded by the first matchday of the East Division. The qualifying round of the “Kickoff Clash” ends on 29 May, all matches are available on the official YouTube channel of Overwatch League.