by JR Cook - 7 years ago     show comments

Blizzard promised to revamp the current HGC format into something new for 2017 and now we are starting to learn more about what that new format will look like.

We already knew that the new system would feature league play as well as a relegation system. We didn’t know much else, aside from that fact that all players on HGC teams would be contracted and paid by Blizzard. Today we received new details on the 2017 Heroes Global Championship circuit courtesy of the Heroes of the Storm Esports page.

Qualifiers for Phase 1 will take place after Blizzcon. Eight teams from each of the four major regions will begin league play in January. After five weeks of league play, top teams from each region will compete in March for $100,000 in prize money at the Eastern and Western Clashes. League play will then continue for five more weeks. The HGC Playoffs will begin in April, once the ten week regular season concludes. Two representatives from each region will emerge from these playoffs and advance to the Mid-Season Brawl, which will take place in May/June and feature a $250,000 prize pool. We will also get our first look at the HGC Crucible in May. This relegation/promotion event will pit the bottom two HGC teams from each region against the top two teams from that region’s Open Division in a best of seven series with a spot in the next phase of the HGC on the line.

The standings will be reset after the Mid-Season Brawl, and league play for Phase 2 will begin in June and follow a similar format. The Eastern and Western Clashes will take place in July after five weeks of league play. League play then resumes for five more weeks until the Playoffs begin in October. The HGC Finals and Crucible for Phase 2 will be in November.

The weekly league games will take play on a Friday-Saturday-Sunday schedule and will be streamed live. Games will be set to take place during prime time for that particular region to make it easier for fans to watch all of the action.

Check out the 2017 Overview tab at the Heroes of the Storm Esports page to get all of the details on what to expect from Heroes Esports next year. The page looks great and does an awesome job of making a fairly complex system easy to understand. The 2016 was a big step forward in Heroes Esports, but 2017 promises to be even better.