Today, PlayVS announced that it is going to expand its current high school esports competitive platform to include a Recreational League in addition to its Varsity League. If that wasn’t big enough news, they also announced the addition of Overwatch high school esports.
All 23 states that currently partner with PlayVS can build Varsity teams, with one team per school. These Varsity teams can compete in State Championships. So far, NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) only recognizes Rocket League and League of Legends as Varsity esports. However, the NFHS and PlayVS both anticipate adding more esports to round out the Varsity League.
In order to provide as many opportunities as possible for esports players, PlayVS has added a Recreational League that stretches across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Esports schools can build an unlimited number of Recreational teams to compete for Regional Championships. Rec esports include League of Legends, Fortnite, SMITE, Rocket League, and now, Overwatch.
Overwatch joins high school esports Rec League
Starting this fall, high schools part of the PlayVS platform can compete for Overwatch titles in its Recreational League.
Said PlayVS Founder and CEO Delane Parnell in a press release:
PlayVS is proud to be at the forefront of the esports insurgence and to be partnering with Blizzard to add Overwatch to our library of offerings for our new Recreational leagues. As a frequently requested game title among our players, Overwatch will offer a new kind of competition to players and we can’t wait to crown our first-ever Overwatch champions.
High school Overwatch teams will consist of six players, but as mentioned, schools can have an unlimited number of teams. The fall season starts on October 15, 2020, playing every Wednesday. The top teams at the end of the Overwatch season will advance to the playoffs for Regional Championships.
With the high popularity of Overwatch and OWL, Overwatch will likely make the leap to the Varsity League.
It’s an incredibly exciting time to be getting into esports, especially for high school kids looking to eventually go pro. This new league system from PlayVS will help more kids get those opportunities to compete.
