Overwatch gets a minor league in the form of Overwatch Contenders

The professional Overwatch League now has segments for amateurs.

Blizzard is expanding the Overwatch Pro League to include new segments for aspiring pro players.

Called Overwatch Contenders, the development league kicks off this summer in the US, and Europe. The idea is to create a pool of competitive players who will compete with one another to impress organisers who will pick the excellent few for the big league.

This season (Season Zero) will start off online-only, with qualifiers determining the top eight teams in both the US, and Europe. Each region's tournaments will have a shared prize pool of $50,000.

The top six teams in North America will be joined by teams Envy, and Rogue for six weeks of "round-robin play" in Season One of the Contenders. The top four teams will go on to play in an offline-only bracket with a prize purse worth $100,000.

Beyond the Contenders, Blizzard will also be hosting the Overwatch Open Division. This series aims to offer a path towards the Contenders. Blizzard promised to reveal more about the Open Division signups soon.