After months of waiting, Blizzard Entertainment has announced a wealth of information and details about the 2023 Overwatch League season. As part of a burst of information, we’re told when the season will begin, what events are scheduled, and also how the divisions will be framed given the current situation with Blizzard games in China.
The 2023 season will kick off on March 23 with a three-week Pro-Am tournament. This will give Contenders teams the opportunity to join the Overwatch League West region in a 20-team on-court tournament. The winner of this event will take home $100,000.
Next up will be the Spring Stage, where teams from the West will compete as usual to place in the first Major of the year, while the East Division will use more of a Pro-Am format, where rosters Contenders and Open Division will be given. a chance to earn spots in the Spring Stage Knockouts and potentially even Midseason Madness.
As for the Midseason Madness Major, it’s scheduled for June and will see four teams from the West and two from the East face off in a live, double-elimination format. More details on this will come in the future.
After Midseason Madness comes the Summer Stage, which will mirror the Spring Stage format, and lead into the Summer Stage Qualifiers, all before the Play-Ins and Playoffs scheduled for September and October.
While the season may not seem very long, this will hopefully encourage wider competition as Contenders and Open Division teams join the fray in places. See the full program below.