The potential begin date of the 2023 Overwatch League season would possibly nonetheless be up within the air after a sequence of delays associated to world occasions and demolished partnerships, however the powers that be are nonetheless making an attempt to make enhancements for the sake of competitors.
Days earlier than the free company interval is ready to lastly start on Dec. 23–after two rounds of delays–the top of the Overwatch League, Sean Miller, introduced a brand new rule to encourage a extra aggressive setting.
Based on an announcement on Miller’s Twitter account, gamers can be a part of the league on the age of 17 beginning subsequent season. This can be a bump up from the authorized age of 18 that was required of all gamers for the primary 5 years of OWL competitors.
As we glance in direction of the FA window opening on Friday, we’re excited to share that our minimal age for OWL competitors will likely be 17 beginning in 2023. In a free to play world, we need to make the highest degree of Overwatch competitors as accessible and inclusive as potential.
— Sean Miller (@sean_mmills) December 22, 2022
“As we glance in direction of the FA window opening on Friday, we’re excited to share that our minimal age for OWL competitors will likely be 17 beginning in 2023,” stated Miller in a tweet. “In a free to play world, we need to make the highest degree of Overwatch competitors as accessible and inclusive as potential.”
This ruling opens up swaths of Overwatch Contenders gamers to OWL groups. Many large skills narrowly miss the signing window yearly and sometimes sit on the bench for the primary a part of the season, solely to come back in and make statements once they age up. League groups can now scoop up extra expertise from the Path to Professional than ever earlier than.
Groups are trying towards an unsure future as negotiations with NetEase, a writer that allowed Blizzard video games to be revealed in mainland China, broke down earlier this 12 months. 4 of the OWL’s groups are based mostly in China and a fifth is run by a Chinese language group; this deal could dismantle or utterly reshape the East area in 2023.
If no different delays hit the league, followers must be listening to extra about 2023 rosters after Dec. 23. After that date, groups can formally signal free brokers–of which there are greater than 100 from the 2022 season alone–and publicly announce Overwatch roster selections.