The Overwatch League has announced that Season 5 will begin on May 5, which it previously confirmed to be played on an early build of Overwatch 2.
In a blog post, the Overwatch League provided details about the upcoming season and some of the changes that will be implemented. Some of the planned changes to Overwatch that are coming with Overwatch 2, like the new 5v5 team setup and the new game mode Push, will be implemented in Season 5. These changes are set to come to the original Overwatch whenever Overwatch 2 launches.
In November, Activision Blizzard announced delays for both Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4, with both games likely not launching until 2023. In September, the Overwatch League confirmed to the Washington Post that Season 5 would be played on an early build of Overwatch 2. The announcement for the delays came two months after it was announced that the Overwatch League would use a build of Overwatch 2.
Other changes coming in Season 5 include the splitting of the league into an East and West region, with the East getting seven teams while the West will have 13 teams. Teams will also now play a minimum of 24 games during the season, an increase over last year’s 16 games. The playoffs will be determined by points accumulated during the season, with the top six seeds from the West and top three seeds from the East automatically qualifying for the playoffs. The Countdown Cup will determine the remaining three teams, two from the West and one from the East.
All of this news comes as Activision Blizzard continues to deal with the ongoing lawsuits brought against it for workplace harassment and discrimination. Microsoft announced plans to acquire the publisher for nearly $69 billion in January, a deal that won’t close until some time in fiscal year 2023.
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