Overwatch Contenders announce new live events for 2019

The Overwatch Contenders competition announced that they will be holding three new live competitive events around the world in 2019, as posted on Wednesday, January 16.

The announcement comes after Contenders recently moved away from LANs for regional finals – a move that was widely criticized by both players and fans.

Now, it looks like the competition is bringing them back with two “Showdown” live events and a tournament called “The Gauntlet” for 2019.

The “Pacific Showdown” will feature top teams from China, Australia, Korea, and the Pacific region facing off in a double-elimination bracket from May 24 to 26 in China.

Only the number one teams from Australia and the Pacific will be invited to the tournament, with the top two teams from both China and Korea snagging a spot.

• Read more: Detailed Overwatch concept shows what a “Story Mode” could look like in-game

The “Atlantic Showdown” is a week later on May 31 through June 2, and will feature the top two teams from Contenders Europe, the three best teams from North America, and the top team from South America in a double-elimination tournament.

There’s no location for the Atlantic Showdown yet, but according to Contenders, it’ll take place in either Europe or the Americas.

Finally, “The Gauntlet” will take the teams from the Atlantic and Pacific Showdowns, with the two throwing down in a “tournament format [that] will emphasize interregional competition for maximum excitement.”

The Gauntlet will take place on October 10 through 13, and teams will be invited to compete based on their performance in either of the showdown tournaments.

• Read more: Overwatch’s new killfeed shows D.Va’s Defense Matrix eating some strange things

The new tournaments are definitely a good thing for Contenders, whose support (or apparent lack of) from Blizzard has become a meme all it’s own.