2023 Overwatch League season

The 2023 Overwatch League season will be the sixth season of the Overwatch League (OWL), a professional esports league for the video game Overwatch 2. The teams will be split into two regions, the East and the West. In the West Region, a pro-am tournament will take place on March 23, 2023, prior to the official start of the season. The regular season will start on April 27, 2023. In the East Region, Overwatch Contenders teams will be competing alongside Overwatch League teams.

2023 Overwatch League season
LeagueOverwatch League
SportOverwatch 2
DurationApril 27 –
Number of teams20

Several teams changed branding and regions for the 2023 season. The Paris Eternal moved from France to Las Vegas, Nevada, and rebranded to the Vegas Eternal, the Philadelphia Fusion moved from Philadelphia to Seoul, South Korea, and rebranded to the Seoul Infernal, the Los Angeles Valiant returned to the West Region, and the Dallas Fuel moved to the East Region. The Chengdu Hunters will not compete in the Spring Split.

League format and changes

Rosters construction

Prior to the start of the season, all teams are required to have minimum of six players, and a maximum of 12 players, signed to season-long contracts. Teams can players to a minimum of one season and could add an option to extend that contract for an additional year, if they so chose. Teams were also allowed to sign players to short-term 30-day contracts, which can only be used on a given player once per season, and two-way contracts.[1] The league reduced the minimum age required to compete from 18 to 17.[2] Additionally, the minimum salary was increased to US$54,249.[1] The free agency window was initially planned to open on November 19, 2022. However, after the announcement that Blizzard's licensing agreement with NetEase in China would expire on January 23, 2023, the league delayed the beginning of free agency to December 2, 2022.[3] A day before the new start of free agency, the league once again moved back its starting date to December 23.[4]

Teams and regions

Several teams have been relocated for the 2023 season. The Paris Eternal relocated to Las Vegas and rebranded to the Vegas Eternal. With their relocation, they became the first OWL team to relocate to a different city. The relocation also left the London Spitfire as the only European representative in the league.[5][6] The Philadelphia Fusion also relocated to Seoul and rebranded to the Seoul Infernal, marking the first time that an OWL team has made a full rebrand. Since the 2020 season, the Fusion had been running their operations in South Korea; with the rebrand, the Infernal made Seoul their permanent base of operation.[7][8] The Los Angeles Valiant, who had been competing out of China in the East Region for the past several seasons, returned to the West Region.[9] The 2022 season champions Dallas Fuel also moved from the West region to the East.[10]

Due to Blizzard's licensing agreement with NetEase in China ending, resulting in the four Chinese OWL teams not legally allowed to play Overwatch 2 in their country, the East Region will be expanding to allow Contenders teams to compete in the OWL. A total of 12 teams from several Contenders regions will play in Spring Stage Opens, and the top teams from the Open will play in the OWL Spring Stage.[11][12] Moreover, the league announced on April 18, 2023, that the Chengdu Hunters would not play in the Spring Stage qualifiers, as the Hunters were "[contemplating] the future direction of their team."[13]

Preseason pro-am

The official start to the season was preceded with a pro-am tournament in the West Region that began on March 23, 2023, in which Overwatch Contenders (OWC) teams played against OWL teams. A total of 20 teams — seven OWC teams and the 13 OWL Western Region teams — were be split equally into four groups. The top eight teams from the group stage advanced to a single-elimination tournament, and the winner of the tournament will won $100,000.[12]

Group stage
Group A
Pos Team W L Promotion
1 Florida Mayhem 4 0 Advance to bracket
2 San Francisco Shock 2 2
3 Vancouver Titans 2 2
4 Timeless 1 3
5 Trick Room 1 3
Source: Overwatch League
Group B
Pos Team W L Promotion
1 Atlanta Reign 4 0 Advance to bracket
2 London Spitfire 3 1
3 Saints 2 2
4 Los Angeles Valiant 1 3
5 Vegas Eternal 0 4
Source: Overwatch League
Group C
Pos Team W L Promotion
1 Boston Uprising 4 0 Advance to bracket
2 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 1
3 Washington Justice 2 2
4 Wisp 1 3
5 Team Peps 0 4
Source: Overwatch League
Group D
Pos Team W L Promotion
1 Houston Outlaws 4 0 Advance to bracket
2 Toronto Defiant 3 1
3 Twisted Minds 2 2
4 New York Excelsior 1 3
5 Redbird Esports 0 4
Source: Overwatch League

Bracket
QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
April 8
Florida Mayhem3
April 9
London Spitfire0
Florida Mayhem3
April 8
Toronto Defiant0
Boston Uprising2
April 9
Toronto Defiant3
Florida Mayhem4
April 8
Los Angeles Gladiators2
Houston Outlaws3
April 9
San Francisco Shock2
Houston Outlaws2
April 8
Los Angeles Gladiators3
Atlanta Reign2
Los Angeles Gladiators3

Source: Overwatch League

Regular season

The regular season will begin on April 27, 2023. In contrast to the previous seasons, which were usually split into four stages, the 2023 season will be split into two stages: Spring and Summer. In the East Region, both stages will begin with Opens, where Contenders teams will compete to play in the OWL. Both Eastern and Western regional OWL teams will begin with their regional qualifiers. The top teams from each regions' qualifiers will advance to their region's knockout stage. In the Eastern region teams, the OWC teams that advanced past the opens will compete with OWL teams in the Eastern region's knockout stage. The top teams from the knockouts will advance to an international tournament event; the Spring Stage will culminate in the international Midseason Madness tournament, while the Summer Stage will culminate with the season playoffs.[12][14]

Spring Split

The Spring Split qualifiers began on April 27, 2023.[14] In the Eastern region, the Chengdu Hunters will not participate.[13]

Qualifiers
East region
2023 Overwatch League East standings
# Team W L PCT P MR MD
Advance to regional knockouts
1 Guangzhou Charge 4 1 .800 5 14–4–0 +10
2 Seoul Infernal 4 1 .800 5 14–5–0 +9
3 Hangzhou Spark 3 2 .600 5 9–8–0 +1
4 Dallas Fuel 2 3 .400 5 7–10–0 -3
5 Seoul Dynasty 1 4 .200 5 6–14–0 -8
6 Shanghai Dragons 1 4 .200 5 4–13–0 -9
West region
2023 Overwatch League West standings
# Team W L PCT P MR MD
Advance to Midseason Madness
1 Atlanta Reign 6 0 1.000 6 18–1–0 +17
2 Florida Mayhem 5 1 .833 6 17–7–0 +10
Advance to regional knockouts
3 Houston Outlaws 3 1 .750 4 10–3–0 +7
4 Boston Uprising 3 1 .750 4 9–4–0 +5
5 Washington Justice 4 2 .667 6 12–7–0 +5
6 Vancouver Titans 2 2 .500 4 7–6–0 +1
7 Los Angeles Gladiators 2 2 .500 4 6–9–0 -3
8 San Francisco Shock 2 2 .500 4 6–10–0 -4
9 New York Excelsior 2 4 .333 6 10–14–0 -4
10 London Spitfire 1 3 .250 4 6–9–0 -3
Do not advance
11 Toronto Defiant 1 3 .250 4 6–11–0 -5
12 Vegas Eternal 0 4 .000 4 1–12–0 -11
13 Los Angeles Valiant 0 6 .000 6 3–18–0 -15

Knockouts
East region
Upper round 1Upper round 2Upper finalFinal
May 21
May 20Guangzhou Charge
DreamersMay 28
Poker Face
May 21
May 20Hangzhou Spark
Rhodes
June 4
Seoul Dynasty
Lower round 2Lower round 3Lower final
May 27
June 3
May 28
May 27
Upper round 1Upper round 2Upper finalFinal
May 21
May 20Seoul Infernal
PantheraMay 28
O2 Blast
May 21
May 20Dallas Fuel
SPG
June 4
Shanghai Dragons
Lower round 2Lower round 3Lower final
May 27
June 3
May 28
May 27
West region
Upper round 1Upper final
June 2
June 3
June 2
Lower round 1Lower round 2Lower round 3Lower final
June 3
June 2June 4
June 4
June 3
June 2

Source: Overwatch League

Notable events

Teams start collective bargaining process

According to esports journalist Jacob Wolf, Overwatch League teams retained British law firm Sheridans to start a collective bargaining process against the league, in an attempt to receive financial assistance after several years of high operating costs and low viewership.[15]

Blizzard's contract with NetEase expires

On January 24, 2023, Activision Blizzard and NetEase ended their 14-year licensing agreement. With the termination of the agreement, all Activision Blizzard titles that were operated by NetEase, which includes Overwatch 2, went offline in China. This resulted in the four Chinese Overwatch League teams — Chengdu Hunters, Guangzhou Charge, Shanghai Dragons (owned by NetEase), and Hangzhou Spark — no longer being able to play in their home country.[16] Additionally, competitions related to unapproved games in China are not allowed to be broadcast on Chinese live-streaming platforms. While some unapproved games have been broadcast in China in the past, the Chinese government is expected to "strictly enforce" this policy as it pertains to Blizzard titles.[17]

Broadcast

In early 2020, Activision Blizzard signed a three-year broadcasting rights deal with YouTube, making the streaming platform the exclusive broadcasting partner for the OWL. The 2023 OWL season will the first season since the expiration of the deal.[18]

References
  1. "Roster Construction Rules for the 2023 Overwatch League Season". Overwatch League. November 14, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  2. Field Level Media (December 22, 2022). "Overwatch League lowers minimum age requirement". Reuters. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  3. Richardson, Liz (November 19, 2022). "Overwatch League delays free agency period as Chinese teams face uncertain future". Dot Esports. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  4. Richardson, Liz (December 1, 2022). "Overwatch League once again delays free agency period with little notice to stakeholders". Dot Esports. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  5. McIntyre, Isaac (June 2, 2022). "Paris Legion, Paris Eternal to relocate to Las Vegas in 2023". Dot Esports. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  6. Joseph, Downey (December 9, 2022). "Vegas Eternal Reveal Official Rebrand". ESTNN. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  7. Fragen, Jordan (December 30, 2022). "OWL's Philadelphia Fusion relocate and rebrand to Seoul Infernal". VentureBeat. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  8. Tornoe, Rob (December 30, 2022). "Comcast Spectacor to move Philadelphia Fusion to South Korea, rename Overwatch League team". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  9. @LAValiant (February 8, 2023). "We are pleased to announce that the LA Valiant will be competing in the West division for the 2023 Overwatch League season" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. Richardson, Liz (March 7, 2023). "Dallas Fuel heading to the East Region for the 2023 Overwatch League season". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  11. Parrish, Ash (February 8, 2023). "Overwatch League season 6 is bringing massive changes". The Verge. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  12. Richardson, Liz (February 8, 2023). "Overwatch League returns in March with 'open ecosystem' and pro-am tournament". Dot Esports. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  13. Richardson, Liz (April 18, 2023). "Panda Extinction: Chengdu Hunters MIA for the 2023 Overwatch League season". Esports Illustrated. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  14. "Community Update: 2023 Overwatch League Season Format". Overwatch League. February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  15. Lee, Jonathan (January 19, 2023). "It cost millions to join the Overwatch League. Teams are pushing for a break". Washington Post. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  16. Fudge, James (January 23, 2023). "Activision Blizzard Games Going Offline Today in China". The Esports Advocate. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  17. Chen, Hongyu (February 3, 2023). "Sources: Overwatch League 2023 Season Won't be Broadcast in China". The Esports Advocate. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  18. "SBJ Unpacks: Call of Duty League heads into season without media deal". Sports Business Journal. November 30, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
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