Host of RuHub studio Dmitry NotInMyHouse Krupnov spoke about the format of the championship Overwatch league… In fact, Krupnov misunderstood the question that he asked, – the host was asked to comment on the new Patrol system in Dota 2. Nevertheless, the reasoning NotInMyHouse about the use of the OWL model in Dota 2 turned out to be so informative that we decided to share them with the readers of Cybersport.ru.
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“I was asked to tell you about the Overwatch system in Dota. I thought it was about the OWL championship from the Overwatch game, and only then it dawned on me that the question was about “Patrol”. I realized this late, when I already figured out how eSports works in Overwatch.
There are 20 teams playing in the Overwatch League. They are divided into two equal conferences. Inside the conference, rosters play two games with each of the opponents (18 matches in total), plus one game with each of the teams from the opposite conference (10 more meetings). Then they play the playoffs in both regions (13 teams from North America, seven teams from Asia), two teams from each playoff bracket advance to the final stage.
The system could well take root in Dota. Five conferences (CIS, Europe, China, Southeast Asia, North and South America), two divisions (West and East). Only the OWL format itself seems to be clumsy: for some reason all teams get into the regional playoffs. With what joy, if you can do as in the NBA – send four, say, teams to the playoffs and form a single-elimination bracket?
Also, Overwatch has not only OWL, but also smaller leagues. Slots are cheaper there, prize money is also lower, and players are simpler. G-league kind of. This is a good thing, but it can only exist if there is an older league where mass access is closed. “
Wherein NotInMyHouse highlighted the features of OWL that are difficult to introduce into the Dota 2 competition system.
“The main reason why the OWL system is inappropriate to use in Dota is money. I saw somewhere that slots in the second division in 2019 cost up to $ 60 million. Teams from the American and Chinese regions have no problems receiving such amounts from investors, since 90% of the teams are owned by tycoon companies.
There is only one such region in Dota – China. No matter how rich the best teams in Europe are, they will still have to seek investment or go under the wing of large commercial organizations from other industries (i.e. from traditional sports, mass media and others). There is no need to talk about such prospects in the CIS, South America and Southeast Asia.
In addition, the minimum wage for an OWL player must be $ 50,000 per year. The median for 2019 is $ 80 thousand. The prize money is large, since the publisher organizes everything himself. Prize money is paid not only at the end of the season and the league, but also at the end of individual stages. These amounts are comparable to DreamHack tournaments in Dota (not majors).
The payment of such salaries implies the fulfillment of obligations by the players and the availability of such money from organizations. I think that in the conditions of “Dota” this is only possible for the clubs that are firmly on their feet, of which there are not so many. And Valve is unlikely to take money away from the heart in order to independently form the prize pool of any other tournament except The International.
By the way, about the costs, by the way: in 2023, the organizers of the OWL were going to hold matches at the home arenas of all teams in the league. In my opinion, at least two each. That is, all teams in the tournament have home arenas. And also all 20 clubs had to travel around the world by plane, every week! Thank you bye”.
In addition, Krupnov compared the approaches to roster locks in Dota 2 and Overwatch.
“OWL is characterized by strict seasonal roster locks: replacements and all transfers are made on a contractual basis with an agreement through the league office. In addition, in the league, as far as I understand, a team must have at least eight players before the start of the season, while only six are playing in matches. That is, teams must have at least two spare.
In Dota, the roster-locks are less strict. Moreover, many teams lose players even during the season. Also, most of the teams performing on stage are stacks without contracts. There is no point in talking about having at least six players in the team today. OWL roster locks imply a very high professional responsibility of players and organizations. We have such an understanding now except in tier-1 teams in Europe ”.
