Overwatch League returns this weekend with a packed schedule

William Davis Published 25/03/2020

The Overwatch League is coming back on March 28 with a packed schedule.

The Overwatch League is ready to resume activities after a prolonged hiatus. Earlier this year, the Overwatch League was forced to cancel homestands in China and South Korea. As the coronavirus spread to the rest of the world, Blizzard decided to transition into an online format and cancel all scheduled homestands.

The show must go on, so the Overwatch League announced a new schedule with 16 games, scheduled to start on Saturday, March 28.

Things kick off at 3 a.m. CT with a match between the Guangzhou Charge and Shanghai Dragons, followed by Chengdu Hunters vs. Hangzhou Spark. This is the first game of the season for all four Chinese teams. The day will resume at 2 p.m. CT with the Toronto Defiant vs. the Boston Uprising. The final game of the day will start a 12 a.m. CT.

On Sunday March 29, the day will follow a similar schedule with eight new series.

According to the Overwatch League’s website, the following week starts on Friday April 3 with six games and eight games on Saturday and Sunday.

OWL returns March 28, and it might be better for teams and players

2020 was supposed to be a huge year for the Overwatch League. The homestand model was supposed to create a truly global experience.

In reality, the Overwatch League bit off more than it could chew. The cost of traveling every week was high for teams, and the schedule was overwhelming for the players. On top of it all, the viewership numbers were declining. It looked like the Overwatch League was destined for failure, until the coronavirus attacked.

A global pandemic might be the best thing to happen to the Overwatch League in 2020. WIN.gg reported that players were considering a strike over the intense travel requirements, and the league’s return after an extended break could drive up viewership numbers. This also gives Blizzard and its franchisees a chance to rethink their overall approach to the Overwatch League.

Blizzard needs to take this time to regroup and make some changes, and compare its strategies with other esports leagues such as the new ESL Pro League in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and the LCS and LEC in League of Legends. Going online gives the Overwatch League time to reinvent itself and improve.

Though the homestand format was certainly an interesting idea, Blizzard might want to reconsider it during this time.

Read Also

Kick

N3on Claims To Be the World’s First AI Streamer Khizar Mundia Controversial content creator Rangesh “N3on” Mutama is facing backlash after announcing that he plans to use AI in his streams going forward, claiming to be the world’s first AI streamer. N3on is no stranger to controversy, but fans thought he was evolving beyond his dramatic reputation with some recent high profile events. In recent weeks he was apparently seen as a GTA character, livestreamed with Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg, and ...

Kick

Kick Users Report Ads Appearing on Non-Monetized Channels; Ethan Wright Responds Khizar Mundia Kick recently rolled out ads, but it appears the livestreaming platform is having issues with adverts when a stream crashes. Kick Director Ethan Wright has responded to the issue, acknowledging it and also shedding light on why it happened. Eddie Craven, known for founding both Stake and Kick, went on the record stating that ads were inevitable for the livestreaming platform, but promised they’d be unobtrusive for viewers. Ads went ...

Kick

Kick Creators Allege KPP Cuts, Ethan Wright Responds Khizar Mundia Several Kick creators have taken to social media to claim that their KPP payments have been slashed, and Kick Director Ethan Wright has responded amid growing speculation about what is driving the cuts. Livestreaming platform Kick’s biggest factor that contributed substantially to attracting creators was its lucrative 95-5 revenue split. Kick then introduced KPP, where partners would be paid hourly based on their streams, which made the platform even more ...

News

Polystrike Turns a Dota 2 Mod Into a Standalone Tactical Shooter Hannan Mundia After the community-made mod found success within the community, developer and publisher Robin Entertainment has decided to turn Polystrike into a proper standalone game. Community-made mods of games finding success within the respective game’s community is nothing new. However, only a handful of those mods are able to go on and become a standalone game. One of the more recent examples is The Forgotten City, which started as a mod ...

Overwatch

Is Overwatch Dying In 2026? Zachary Roberts Is Overwatch dying? This is the sort of question that gets posed to all live-service games at one point or another. Because they require active servers and constant attention from developers, there has to be enough of a market to continue funnelling resources into the games. So, if a game isn't growing, or worse, if it's dying, it is bad news for everyone involved. If no one's playing, then the ...

Kick

Here’s a Rundown of the Major New Features and Improvements on Kick in August 2026 Khizar Mundia Kick Director Ethan Wright has shared several new features that were introduced on the platform in August, also revealing that the team will continue to “push out great updates after great updates”. Livestreaming platform Kick is serious about introducing new features and making changes to improve the experience for both streamers and viewers. The Kick GO Live mobile app may be the standout addition the livestreaming platform has made in ...

Twitch

xQc Talks Subathons and Reveals Why He Avoids Them Khizar Mundia Félix “xQc” Lengyel is a major force in the streaming world, with his earnings being among the highest in the industry. However, despite this success, xQc has never done subathons — and the Kick streamer has revealed his reasons. Subathons have become an important element in the streaming world, as they are both engaging for viewers and beneficial for creators. Kai Cenat is arguably the most famous streamer who made ...