Former Overwatch pro Brandon ‘Seagull’ Larned revealed to his chat that his proposed streamer team for Contenders was canceled because of Blizzard’s rules.
During a live stream, the former Dallas Fuel flex DPS was asked by one of his viewers about making a team to compete in Contenders.
The popular streamer explained that he would never do it because Blizzard’s rules about broadcasting matches made it impossible to make a stream team work.
“After Overwatch League, I considered doing a stream team and just trying to get into Contenders and playing with friends,” Larned said. “But, I messaged a few people if they would ever consider changing those rules and nothing ever happened. So, I just decided not to do it.”
According to Seagull, players weren’t allowed to stream if they were in a Contenders match. “They only want the stream on the official stream,” he explained but added he would want to do it in a different game.
Later on in the broadcast, the popular streamer discussed the possibility of streaming in Open Division – the tier below Contenders Trials. He said that while he could stream with a delay, the problem that would arise is that his team of streamers would probably stomp Open Division and have to refuse going into Contenders.
“It just feels lame,” he said. “Like, you want to have good games. It just felt too awkward.”
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It’s unfortunate because a stream team with top Overwatch streamers such as Seagull, xQc, Dafran, Emongg, Fran or KarQ would be incredibly fun to watch with so much star power and talent combined.
Sadly, it doesn’t seem like Blizzard has any plans to change its rules on streaming any time soon so the chances of getting a high-level stream team in Overwatch Contenders won’t be happening for the foreseeable future.
In October, Blizzard announced changes were coming to the Contenders format in 2020.
The biggest difference is the seasonal structure will be replaced by a bi-weekly tournament series where placements will earn teams points to qualify for regional playoffs and eventually major international live events such as the Atlantic and Pacific Showdowns.
Overwatch Contenders returns in January 2020.