Blizzard has announced a format change for Overwatch Contenders Australia 2020 Season 2, with the league moving back towards a round robin format.
2020 marked a change in the Overwatch Contenders ecosystem. A new format added weekly tournaments for teams to earn points in the hopes of qualifying for playoffs, and eventually the Showdowns.
However, Blizzard are pivoting away from the weekly league system, and reverting their 2020 changes — at least in Australia. Overwatch Contenders Australia will return to a round-robin league format in 2020 Season 2, a tried and true method in the region.
We're excited to reveal the upcoming changes to #Contenders Season 2!
— Overwatch Path to Pro (@owpathtopro) June 23, 2020
Check out the details over at https://t.co/mYz3JQvzCn pic.twitter.com/m2OdhicbgG
It will operate similarly to how it did previously in 2019. Eight teams will play each other over seven weeks of action. The top four will qualify for playoffs, with the double-elimination format ultimately deciding who the region sends to the Gauntlet.
Mindfreak, Ground Zero, the Sydney Drop Bears, and Warriors have automatically qualified for Season 2 after finishing in the top four in Season 1.
Paradigm Shift, ScrimBux, the former Athletico roster, ADSL2+, Mingyun, Kraken, Memento, and PowerAnchors will compete in Trials to fill the remaining four spots.
There will be $100,000 USD (~$144,000 AUD) on offer in Contenders Australia Season 2. Three games in “each cycle” will be streamed, giving Contenders teams more airtime than they had in Season 1.
The announcement by Blizzard also noted that while the Pacific Showdown has been cancelled, they are still looking into running the end-of-year Gauntlet.
“Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated safety and travel implications, we are still working on our Gauntlet plans for the end of 2020, but we’re currently targeting for all regions to qualify at least one team for the event and will announce more information at a later date,” they stated.
Contenders Australia Season 2 is set to kick off in July, although no specific date has been locked in yet.
