North American Region
Atlanta Reign
Boston Uprising
Dallas Fuel
Florida Mayhem
Houston Outlaws
London Spitfire
Los Angeles Gladiators
Paris Eternal
San Francisco Shock
Toronto Defiant
Vancouver Titans
Washington Justice
These regions resemble the COVID-related restructuring the league underwent last spring, with only the Philadelphia Fusion changing regions.
The league also addressed the potential of live, in-person events returning in 2021. “While we cannot predict the future, we hope to welcome fans back to live events if health and safety conditions improve in 2021, but that might not happen, and it might not be at every location where teams compete,” the league said. “Our top priority remains to keep our players, fans, and staff safe.”
More information on Overwatch League 2021 will be made available at BlizzConline Feb. 19-20.
Meanwhile, the first season-long competition in VALORANT history, the Champions League, will be kicking off Jan. 27. The tournament, which will be facilitated by Philadelphia-based tournament organizers Nerd Street Gamers in North America, will see Stage 1 begin with the Challengers Weekend Open Qualifiers Jan. 27-31 and Closed Qualifiers Feb. 4-7. Two more Challengers Weekends will follow, with the Masters tournament capping off Stage 1 March 13-14 and March 19-21. The full schedule of events and registration for prospective teams can be found at the official Nerd Street Gamers website.
Elsewhere in the world of competitive gaming:
Gen.G Suspends Star for Sexist Comments
Former Overwatch League pro player Ryu “Ryujehong” Jehong has been suspended from content creation for Shanghai-based esports organization Gen.G after disparaging comments against women he made during a recent livestream. Jehong is seen yelling at his female co-streamer for interrupting him before making the comments, which were made public on Twitter.
Co-president and COO of Gen.G Arnold Hur released a statement on Tuesday, saying: “Our belief is that whether you are a player or a streamer, anybody with a platform should understand the responsibility of the higher standards that come with it.”
Super Smash Bros. Melee Pro PPMD Leaves Evil Geniuses
Longtime Super Smash Bros. Melee pro Kevin “PPMD” Nanney and Evil Geniuses have announced the end of their partnership after seven years. Nanney, who stayed with Evil Geniuses after leaving active Melee competition in 2016 and switching to content creation in 2019, thanked the esports org for the years of partnership with a statement on Twitter.
Ukranian Org Natus Vincere Partners With RAID: Shadow Legends
Plarium Games, developer of the mobile hit RAID: Shadow Legends, has announced a new partnership with Kyiv-based esports organization Natus Vincere. All Natus Vincere (abbreviated as Na’Vi) jerseys will feature the RAID logo as a sponsor for all of 2021, while Plarium Games will launch in-game events and tournaments centered around the team and its members. The first event of the partnership has not been scheduled, but is tentatively planned for the first quarter of 2021.
Photo courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment