The doable begin date of the 2023 Overwatch League season may 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 about 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.
In accordance with 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 the direction of the FA window opening on Friday, we’re excited to share that our minimal age for OWL competitors might be 17 beginning in 2023,” stated Miller in a tweet. “In a free to play world, we wish to make the highest degree of Overwatch competitors as accessible and inclusive as doable.”
This ruling opens up swaths of Overwatch Contenders gamers to OWL groups. Many massive abilities narrowly miss the signing window yearly and infrequently 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 wanting towards an unsure future as negotiations with NetEase, a writer that allowed Blizzard video games to be printed in mainland China, broke down earlier this 12 months. 4 of the OWL’s groups are based in China and a fifth is run by a Chinese language group; this deal could dismantle or fully reshape the East area in 2023.
If no different delays hit the league, followers ought to 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.
