Overwatch World Cup’s 16-nation tourney could make Blizzard’s shooter an esports power

Blizzard is holding its annual fan gathering in Anaheim in a few months, and among that convention’s many events is the first international World Cup for the company’s new shooter.

The Overwatch World Cup begins October 29 with a round-robin group stage that will lead into a single-elimination tournament to determine the top country in the world. The publisher will hold the final rounds at BlizzCon November 4 and November 5 in Anaheim. With the World Cup, Blizzard is pushing Overwatch deeper into the esports scene. As a competitive, team-based shooter from the company that created Starcraft, the shooter already has a strong chance of establishing itself alongside games like League of Legends. Overwatch could bring in additional revenues for Blizzard from the $493 million esports market, but the publisher would prefer to build an entertainment product that can serve as a platform for marketing the game. The World Cup is an exhibition, so it has no prize pool. But the top 16 teams will receive an appearance bonus and Blizzard will pay for their travel to BlizzCon.