Blizzard's revival of the Overwatch competitive esports scene began earlier this year with the introduction of the Overwatch Champions Series. This new structure, which replaced the Overwatch League, featured an open format with online and in-person events. The company held the first two stages of the event and the Summer Major earlier this year — and since the new stages have already kicked off, it brings back memories of watching said Major at DreamHack Dallas 2024.
DreamHack Dallas was the site of the first major OWCS event, following Stages 1&2 (Stage 2 for the Asian regions kicked off in August). At DreamHack, I spoke with Bailey McCann, OWCS product lead, and Sean Miller, head of Overwatch esports, as well as several of the voice actors from Overwatch 2. Speaking about the new format, McCann told me at the time: “This new open ecosystem for our players is more accessible, better serves their needs, and fulfills our original vision for Overwatch esports: an open, accessible, highly authentic atmosphere that serves our community.”
Miller added that Blizzard had worked with FaceIt on a series of creator tournaments and the company's efforts to integrate OWCS into the esports scene. “We made it a point to keep it at that tier 1 level and where every player can aspire to … All of those things have brought Overwatch to where people are — have brought this game, these heroes that everyone loves and is so attached to, to a much broader audience than we ever could before, and it's been really meaningful.”
As McCann told me about the intentions of the OWCS, “We really want to focus on a community feel that feels authentic and serves our esports community. And honestly, I think DreamHack achieves a lot of that.”
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Overwatch 2 at DreamHack Dallas
During DreamHack, I also had the chance to chat with three actors who voice characters in Overwatch 2: Anjali Bhimani (Symmetra), Carolina Ravassa (Sombra), and Valeria Rodriguez (Venture). If there was one common thread throughout my conversations, it was that DreamHack and the esports side of the event both facilitated and worked well with the other components of the event: the local indie developer showcase, the artist alley, the increased presence of TTRPGs, and the massive tabletop card game space in one section of the event.
Bhimani told me, “Every DreamHack feels a little bit different because it's growing and expanding in such cool ways. It's not just about the size of the audience or the size of the convention. I feel like DreamHack is constantly trying to make the attendee experience more expansive and inclusive. Whether it's more opportunities for casual gamers or more opportunities for people with other interests, or other vendors or other charities, that part of it means a lot to me. I love that they change it up every time.”
Rodriguez spoke about their experience voicing a character who was part of the esports scene: “Our characters live on because it’s a living, breathing thing with esports, where people are consistently putting these characters in the spotlight… Because people continue to play them in these tournaments, they leave a legacy of sorts.”
Ravassa added, referring to how Sombra and the other character had evolved over time: “We can grow with the characters. We can see how the gamer community evolves with the characters and the new additions. With the changes and the reworks, we all feel brand new, and that's exciting because we can move with something. I've never had that experience before. So it's just a family that keeps growing.”