Overwatch is Now Part of the National Championship Series

March 20, 2019

by Olivia Schaller--Updated

Get ready to squad up and make sure you’re getting the most out of your ultimate. Sign up for all Overwatch NCS events on Lobby.gg!

Overwatch National Championship Series

MARCH 20, 2019 – We’ve been talking a lot about the National Championship Series — the circuit of esports tournaments designed to elevate your competition to a national level — since we announced it back in December. In fact, we talk about it to just about anyone who will listen. As it turns out, a lot of people were listening.

We’re very excited to let you know that we’re making Overwatch an official part of the National Championship Series.

The Overwatch National Championship Series will occur across the country. It’ll be in Philly, Denver, Boston, Arlington, and D.C. just to name a few places. The series kicks off in full at the end of March and will see games happen nearly every week until the Grand Final in October later this year at Localhost Arena in Denver, CO.

That might seem like a long way away, but we guarantee the time is going to fly.

Scholarships and Careers

We’re pretty sure you’re familiar with Blizzard Entertainment. Games such as World of Warcraft, Starcraft and Starcraft II, Hearthstone, and of course Overwatch are entrenched in the esports and casual gaming vernacular. It is easy to argue that Blizzard has made some of the most iconic video games in the industry.

However, people often don’t think of these games as a path to a person’s career.

By bringing Overwatch into the National Championship Series, our team will produce excellent opportunities to showcase the talent of players at the high school and collegiate level. For high school players, these tournaments are a chance to earn scholarships to top universities. And for players already in university, the Overwatch National Championship Series could be the gateway to a profession.

“We are eager to work with N3rd Street Gamers to bring more tournaments to the amateur Overwatch community in 2019 and continue building local engagement around Overwatch competition,” said Jon Spector, Overwatch League Director of Franchises and Competition.

The Rise of the NCS

We designed the National Championship Series to be a multi-game circuit with the express purpose of providing access to high-quality esports tournaments and create a stepping stone for all amateur players. The more people we can get into their first competition, the more we feel like we’re fulfilling our mission.

We’ll run Overwatch tournaments as part of the NCS throughout the year. What’s more, we’ll support local activations for Overwatch League franchises in as many regions as possible.

We think that the competitions run as part of the Overwatch National Championship Series will really appeal to those at the T3 level looking to claw their way to the top. Those teams will now have the opportunity to participate in NCS tournaments and hone their skills against excellent competition.

Philadelphia Fusion President Tucker Roberts remarked on the importance of local tournaments in the amateur circuit: “Supporting the T3 scene has always been a top priority for the Fusion. Overwatch League is the first major global city-based esports league, and we are committed to growing the Philadelphia community. Ever since our Hometown Heroes event, we’ve seen tremendous turnout for amateur competitions in our market.”

Our own John Fazio even chimed in on the subject.

“Frankly I’m envious of the players. As a Diamond tank on the brink of Masters I would love to be able to compete at these LANs and improve my skills against the region’s best.”

Here are a just a few of the Overwatch NCS dates coming up:

Overwatch NCS Academy

Overwatch NCS Minor

Overwatch NCS Major