. Last update: July 29, 2022
Teams in the European Overwatch Contenders Summer Series tournament have refused to play after a competitive glitch ended a match prematurely due to a major miscommunication on Blizzard’s part.
The European Overwatch Contenders Summer Series tournament is now mired in controversy due to Blizzard’s investment in certain parameters of the tournament.
The European Winners Bracket Final between 01 Esports and Munich Esports took place today. Munich had an early lead and went 3-0. However, 01 Esports came back with a late surge to nearly level the match at 3-2.
The two teams were then moved to map 6, but were quickly withdrawn by Blizzard administrators, who then announced it was a series of first-to-three (FT3) and declared Munich the 3-0 winners. However, prior to this time, all parties involved were under the impression that it was a first to four (FT4).
While the official rules stated that it was an FT3 series, the administrators told players that it was an FT4 instead.
Screenshots reveal that the players asked for clarification before the match and were told directly by the admins that it would be best of seven (FT4).
As a result, the teams are now refusing to continue participating in the tournament as a show of solidarity. Team of fellow contenders Ex Oblivione, who will play as the top bracket final loser, released an official statement online detailing how they are “distressed” by this mistake.
Ex Oblivione then added that in their opinion this has “affected the competitive integrity of the tournament” and that they “refuse to continue” their career until Blizzard resolves these issues.
In an interview with the edgeAron ‘ANJ’ de Jong, a main support player at 01 Esports, spoke about the drama that followed the premature end of the match.
“Because of our loss, we had to play Ex Oblivione in the losing bracket,” he said. “We came to an agreement with them that this was unacceptable and that Blizzard cannot treat players like this. We agreed with Ex Oblivione not to play the game, but we wanted to make a statement so we decided to play but not compete.”
For those who tuned in to the broadcast, it was clear that the two teams were not taking it seriously. When the organizers posted this, they quickly ended the match.
Shortly after, Ex Oblivione player Helv posted on Twitter a screenshot of a conversation that took place between the two teams and the admin staff. Blizzard threatened to disqualify them on the spot if neither was willing to play properly.
After this backlash, Blizzard came out and tried to clear up the confusion and issued an official statement of its own. They reversed the administrator’s decision to end the match, with Munich and 01 expected to play their series from Map 6.
“After investigating the circumstances, we have determined that staying consistent with our most recent communication to the teams, which stated that the match was an FT4 series, is the fairest course of action,” they said.
No team will be disqualified, and the match between 01 Esports and Munich will be played as the teams were originally told.
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