Overwatch League confirms Spring 2021 return and unveils BlizzConline special event

It's going to be a long wait for Overwatch League fans eager to see the competition return in 2021 following San Francisco's Shock win at the 2020 Grand Finals, as the Vice President, Jon Spector, revealed that OWL will come back in the Spring of 2021, months later than its usual start date.

When will Overwatch League Season 4 start?

SF Shock celebrating their first OWL title in 2019 (Photo: Blizzard Entertainment)

Unlike previous years which have seen OWL start in January and February, don't expect 2021 to be the same.

"Our 2021 Season will start in the Spring, that gives us a little bit more time to plan versus when we've typically started in February," Spector said in a special YouTube announcement. 

This was rumoured to be the case, with OWL potentially set to come back until April, whether in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic going on or holding off for Overwatch 2's impending release, it remains to be seen.

Tournaments are back

(Photo: Blizzard Entertainment)

After an overwhelmingly positive reception to the tournament format OWL introduced mid-season, adapting to the struggles of running a League as the coronavirus pandemic continued, the VP mentioned it will be making a comeback.

"We'll have an opportunity to optimise that, we'll be experimenting and looking at different bracket formats, some different competitive structures, and in particular to build an entire season around that tournament construct," adding that, continuing the region split from 2020, OWL Season 4 will feature two separate ones, teams for each have not yet been confirmed. 

What happens in the meantime?

(Photo: Blizzard Entertainment)

If you're not invested in Overwatch Tier 2 scene, which is currently wrapping up the 2020 competitions ahead of The Gauntlet in December, the final event which sets the best teams from each region against one another, Spector did unveil an OWL special showcase happening at BlizzConline in February. 

• Read more: SF Shock's ANS reveals battle with depression after victory in OWL Grand Finals

The event will be called "Shock vs The World" featuring two-time Champions San Francisco Shock playing against "dream-teams of other pro players, community figures in a series of Overwatch related challenges."

If you want to watch the announcement, check it out down below. 

For more on Overwatch, check out the Lucio and Torbjorn skins fans got simply for watching Contenders during the month of November.