The Overwatch League has officially detailed several of its plans for the upcoming 2020 season. There are some major changes coming to the way the league will be structured but the most notable changes are in where the games themselves will be played. Here is a breakdown of what’s to come.
Yes, it’s official, the OWL is coming home. All 20 of the OWL teams will be given the option of hosting anywhere between 2-5 Homestands but all must host at least two. This announcement not only confirms that there will be no additional teams added to the league for the upcoming season but also that the OWL will be going to each of the cities represented by the 20 current teams. This means that the OWL will be played in at least in six countries and three continents in the coming season.
Teams like the Washington Justice and the Dallas Fuel, who have been keen on making their home cities an impactful part of their brand, are opting to host the maximum number of homestands (five). Both teams will be utilizing multiple different stadiums in their local areas (The Justice have confirmed to have two, while the Fuel have stated that they will employ “multiple venues”). Other teams could have opted for the same or less due to planning logistics, travel concerns, or a variety of other concerns which will likely be addressed later today and in the coming weeks.
The @washjustice are quickly becoming one of the teams most focused on involvement with their local fans. Starts at the top with @Markein wanting to bring esports to the area, and pays off when we can deliver for the fans. Stick with us! Best is yet to come. https://t.co/IAhSGE2m1x
— DC Justice – PRE (@PRE_owl) July 15, 2019
Additionally, there are some structural changes coming to the league. The Pacific and the Atlantic Conferences will be sticking around, however, there will now be four divisions across the two conferences. This will place five teams in each of the four conferences, leaving room for future expansion teams to enter into the new system down the line. Here are the new divisions and conferences:
Pacific: The Eastern Division will contain of the Chengdu Hunters, Guangzhou Charge, Hangzhou Spark, Seoul Dynasty and Shanghai Dragons. The Western Division, on the other hand, has the Dallas Fuel, Los Angeles Gladiators, Los Angeles Valiant, San Francisco Shock and Vancouver Titans.
Atlantic: The Southern Division is comprised of the Atlanta Reign, Florida Mayhem, Houston Outlaws, Philadelphia Fusion and Washington Justice. The Northern Division will be made up of the Boston Uprising, New York Excelsior, Toronto Defiant, London Spitfire and Paris Eternal.
The number of games is one thing that will not be changing going into next season. There will still be 28 games played across the 2020 season, the same number that was played in the 2019 season. The season will span from February until August. However, the stages themselves will be removed in 2020 due to travel and logistic concerns. The mid-season All-Star game will remain and there will still be a midseason break.
Image Courtesy of AXS
It is worth noting that this has all come out amidst the 2019 season, not during the offseason. That should give fans reassurance that this has been an ongoing plan that the league has clearly been working at length to get ready for the 2020 season. For the players, the coaches, all of the staff and most importantly, the fans, this is huge news. The Overwatch League is coming home!
The Game Haus will continue to monitor and provide updates on all of the latest OWL 2020 news. Stay tuned throughout today and in the next couple of weeks as more details surface.
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Featured Image Courtesy of Ben Pursell For Blizzard Entertainment
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