Overwatch League 2022 to host live audience in playoffs, finals
The 2022 Overwatch League is heading to the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, to conclude this year’s competition. The playoff, scheduled for October 30 to November 3, and the Grand Final, on November 4, will be held in front of a live audience. Blizzard confirmed the news on Monday.
This year marks OWL’s fifth grand final and first in-person event in the past three years. In 2020, the San Francisco Shook won their second championship title, and the Shanghai Dragons won theirs in 2021.
This year’s OWL finale being held live may indicate that Blizzard is gearing up for its annual gaming convention, BlizzCon. The event usually takes place near the finale of OWL.
There have been rumors that the Irvine-based gaming company is discussing plans for Overwatch 2, which eventually will replace its prequel in OWL. The game offers many new features compared to the first installment, released in 2016.
Ahead of OWL playoffs
As of now, aside from formats, there is no information regarding OWL’s play-ins and playoffs since the tournament has yet to enter the finale. Currently, 20 total teams, including 13 in the West and seven in the East are gearing up for the Countdown Cup, the final part of OWL’s Regular Season.
“The regional online bracket will take place from October 14-15 in the East, with the fourth through sixth seeds competing,” the organizer wrote of play-ins’ format.
“Meanwhile, in the West, it will be held from October 21–22, with seeds no seven to tenth facing each other. Teams are seeded according to their cumulative League Points. All matches will be in the first-to-three map wins format with map selection rules in effect.”
The Countdown Cup is scheduled to begin on September 23 and end on October 17. Similar to the previous events, the Countdown Cup has been separated into four weeks and will be played online.
The West Standings is currently led by the Shock, with a 17-1 record and 23 points, which put them ahead of the Dallas Fuel (15-3/21) and Los Angeles Gladiators (12-6/19).
Meanwhile, with a 15-3 record, the Dragons top the East Standings. Although the team is 20 points tied to the Seoul Dynasty, the South Korean team is trailing a single winning point behind the reigning champ at 14-4. Behind them is the Hangzhou Spark (10-8/12 points).
The Countdown Cup will start its action in Week 21 this Friday. The matchups are as follows:
Houston Outlaws vs. Boston Uprising
Dallas Fuel vs. Washington Justice
Atlanta Reign vs. Toronto Defiant
Hangzhou Spark vs. Chengdu Hunters
Seoul Dynasty vs. Los Angeles Valiant
Encore matchup between Hangzhou Spark against Chengdu Hunters
The Countdown Cup will feature a total of 14 maps across four different game modes, with details provided below:
Control: Busan, Ilios, Lijiang Tower, Nepal, Oasis
Hybrid: Eichenwalde, King’s Row, Paraíso
Escort: Circuit Royal, Dorado, Junkertown, Route 66
Push: New Queen Street, Colosseo
These game modes are structured in the order of qualifiers and bracket games. A single control has been added along with an additional escort and push whenever a tiebreaker is necessary.
