‘Overwatch 2’ to hold an LGBTQ+ tournament this month

Blizzard Entertainment has announced that it will be holding an Overwatch 2 tournament for members of the LGBTQ+ community later this month.

Beginning in late October, the developer shared the news in a recent Twitter post stating that the Overwatch 2 Challengers Cup will be open to any underrepresented genders. Registration is now open for players to sign up and will be chosen by Blizzard through a verification system (via PC Gamer).

Blizzard notes in a separate blog post detailing the event that the Challengers Cup is open but not limited to “transgender, non-binary, genderfluid,” as well as women participants.

We are calling ALL heroes!

Overwatch and Overwatch League are dedicated to making a difference. We strive to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for underrepresented genders in Overwatch. We want you – our heroes – to join us.

⭐ Learn more at https://t.co/qDzfxjXwF5 pic.twitter.com/sfNpMoYCEB

— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) September 30, 2022

“Overwatch and Overwatch League are dedicated to making a difference,” the Twitter post reads. “We strive to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for underrepresented genders in Overwatch. We want you – our heroes – to join us.”

In order to register for the tournament, fans will be required to join the Discord servers and fill out a form which will ask for your name, Battle.net account, Discord account, social media links, and a photo of yourself to become eligible.

“One’s appearance and gender expression has no contingency on your application, and this step is to solely assign an individual to your application,” the sign up form reads.

Despite this being the first tournament designed specifically for underrepresented players, it doesn’t directly tie into Blizzard’s “Path to Pro” esports leagues that build up to the Overwatch League. However, Blizzard added, “We hope it will serve as an entry point for underrepresented genders to jump into the broader Overwatch esports ecosystem, and we encourage all who are eligible to participate in both Challengers Cup and Path to Pro.”

Overwatch 2 is set to launch in early access on October 4.

In other news, players aren’t happy about Overwatch 2‘s new mobile verification system.