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Writer's pictureDevin Morris

How Overwatch Found a Home at the Edge of the World

Esports communities in South Africa have to face many trials to exist in an already challenging ecosystem. Weak infrastructure, lack of access to stable internet, and financial inaccessibility of a gaming setup are common issues aspiring South African esports enthusiasts face. The local Overwatch 2 community has further roadblocks with the lack of local servers forcing players to adjust to higher-than-average ping and the lack of external funding from tournament organisers (TOs) and sponsors. Despite these problems, Competitive Overwatch South Africa (COWZA) [ZA comes from the Dutch Zuid Afrika since the ISO code SA was claimed by Saudi Arabia first] aims to be the hub for competitive and casual Overwatch in Sub-Saharan Africa.


Background

COWZA began in 2017 as a small scrimming community but has grown into a hub for Overwatch in South Africa, even bringing international competition into the fold. We exist as one of the rare hubs of this kind. They are uncommon for Esports in South Africa, with many others fragmented and often only brought together by competitions overseen by TOs. South African Overwatch has had support from local TOs in the past, but many have dropped the support due to the lack of reach Overwatch has in the country compared to the likes of Counter-Strike and Dota 2—both of which have local servers. COWZA is the predominant support structure for Overwatch in South Africa. We are responsible for running casual and competitive competitions. Since 2021, COWZA has run multiple competitions by ourselves., Any prize pools are funded internally. The upcoming LAN at ATK Arena marks the first COWZA-led competition aided by an external source since ATK hosted a league and finals in 2020.


This event is the beginning of potential growth in Overwatch as a competitive esport in South Africa.

South African interest in Overwatch has oscillated throughout the years. There was a sharp decline in interest from the COWZA community prior to the launch of Overwatch 2. With Blizzard's attention placed heavily on the development of Overwatch 2, they stopped providing new content or balance fixes for Overwatch, leading to a content drought. The launch of Overwatch 2 galvanised our community, and COWZA’s membership grew exponentially. Despite the revival, COWZA remains the sole organiser of Overwatch-related events for the South African community. 


The last Overwatch esports LAN event was in 2019, when Telkom VS Gaming still supported the game. VS Gaming remains a pillar of South African esports, but their focus has shifted predominantly to CS2 and Dota 2, as well as high school esports. The 2019 LAN had sixteen teams competing over three days, with a GSL Group Stage leading into a Double Elimination bracket. The gap between the top four teams and the rest of the event’s competitors was very high, which was unfortunate. The 2024 LAN boasts the most competitive event in COWZA's history, with at least six teams at Masters-level or higher. In 2021, there were only three teams at a Masters or higher level, with the rest falling dramatically behind.


The success of The Ethereal Crown Qualifiers and the main event at the ATK Arena on the 26th of October falls heavily on the members of the Esports Committee. We have been working tirelessly to ensure every aspect of the event runs smoothly and everyone involved has an incredible experience. One of COWZA managers, Helette “Smiley” Steenkamp, initiated contact with ATK and contributed substantially to the event's success. The tournament's existence is a result of her outreach. This event is the beginning of potential growth in Overwatch as a competitive esport in South Africa.


Computers set up to play League of Legends at ATK Arena in Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa.
ATK Arena in Cape Town will host Ethereal Crown. Copyright Jay Caboz

Trials of Inequality

It is no secret that South Africa is a country rife with inequality at all levels. With the country still reeling from the effects of Apartheid, many community members are at a disadvantage when wanting to compete in Overwatch. The COWZA community reflects this past and present inequality. Because of these lingering inequalities, the community does not represent the country's demographics. While attempts have been made nationally to correct the inequality issues, the gaming and esports scene has yet to fully address the problems.


Some games, like Dota 2, Rocket League, CS2, and League of Legends have lower PC requirements to run the game effectively. Overwatch 2 does not have the same luck. With many PC parts outsourced internationally and an already struggling economy, many South Africans struggle to afford the necessary PC specs to run Overwatch 2 to a good enough level to compete. Consequently, for sponsors and TOs are dramatically less interested in investing in events. Overwatch 2 is available on console, which is cheaper for players to get a hold of since it is less reliant on several expensive PC parts, but Overwatch is not typically played at the highest level on console. 


In South Africa, mobile gaming has considerably more support than PC and console gaming, given its ease of access to the country. Without that support, Overwatch will have an arduous time competing on the same level as other titles in the country. Should the whisper of a mobile Overwatch be true, we could see an influx of players into Overwatch.


Poster for ATK Arena F1 Sunday Tournament & Watch Party on 20 October 2024.
In addition to esports events, ATK Arena also boasts racing simulators and regularly hosts watch parties for popular sports like Formula 1 and rugby. Copyright ATK Arena

Overwatch 2 moved to a free-to-play model, which made it more accessible and aided the game’s growth in South Africa. Players of other titles have become more willing to try the game since it does not require an economic investment. While our growth in player numbers does not match the likes of CS2 or Dota 2, it has been a great boon to the local community. Teams have come and gone after the release of Overwatch, but several players on those teams have remained. Many of these players started on lower-echelon teams but are now in the top eight teams in the country.


Tribulations of Weak Infrastructure

While South Africa has one of the largest economies in Africa, with the continent's highest nominal GDP, it is still a developing country with plenty of infrastructural problems. Being in Africa, there is often not enough value for game titles to have local servers without pre-existing infrastructure.


Blizzard does not have servers for South Africa, and as such, the best servers for the players to play on are either Saudi Arabia or Amsterdam. Regardless of the server players find themselves in games, they will be at serious disadvantage having to play with higher than average ping, usually around 160 ms Playing under such conditions requires players to preemptively input movements and abilities to outperform their opponents. 


With the lack of local servers for players, the higher ping causes issues with hero interactions and makes playing some heroes more difficult. Heroes more reliant on micro-interactions and fast-paced movements, like Tracer and Doomfist, are much harder to play since you can miss cooldowns or die with the game failing to register your movement or cooldowns. Higher ping can also bring bug interactions that are not a priority to the developer. Fo example  when playing Baptiste, a metagame mainstay, his primary fire appears to fire a two-shot burst instead of three based on client-side audio and visuals, while still firing a three-shot burst on server side. This bug can influence a player's perception of the hero and creates cognitive dissonance.


The most problematic issue South African players have to deal with is an ailing power infrastructure. For years, Eskom, the bulk supplier of South Africa's power, implemented rolling blackouts called load-shedding. Load-shedding is a system of planned rolling blackouts; the goal is to reduce the pressure on the electricity system to prevent a larger nationwide blackout. These blackouts prevent the regular occurrence of tournaments and scrims in South Africa, preventing teams from participating due to having at least one player affected by load-shedding per slot. Fortunately, load-shedding has been suspended since March of this year, allowing teams to scrim and participate in tournaments freely.


Players of other titles have become more willing to try the game since it became free-to-play.

The last problem players and teams have to deal with is Daylight Savings, which South Africa does not implement. During summer in the southern hemisphere, South African teams have to scrim from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM, which often does not line up well with players' schedules, including jobs, school, and tertiary study.


Team South Africa at the 2019 Overwatch World Cup with former Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan.
Team South Africa at the 2019 Overwatch World Cup with former Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan. Copyright ZA Barbarians.


Despite all the trials and tribulations South Africa has and continues to face, the community remains dedicated to ensuring success for Overwatch within the country. Without perseverance through adversity, I believe the community would not be in a position to host a LAN event and that must be commended.


Quest for the Throne

The first Overwatch LAN in South Africa since 2019 is occurring on the 26th of October 2024 at the ATK Arena in Cape Town.

The Ethereal Crown is the first South African Overwatch LAN since 2019.
The Ethereal Crown is the first South African Overwatch LAN since 2019. Copyright Axom.

After two qualifiers, eight teams secured their spots at the LAN. The first qualifier occurred on the weekends of the 10th–11th and 17th–18th of August, while the Last Chance Qualifier transpired on one weekend, the 7th–8th of September. All eight teams find themselves in a double-elimination bracket. All broadcasted matches will be on the COWZA Twitch and YouTube. Due to time constraints, not all matches will feature on the broadcast.

The upcoming LAN at ATK Arena marks the first COWZA-led competition aided by an external source since ATK hosted a league and finals in 2020.

The competing teams are Pink Salamanders, Inglorious Blasters 5 Knights at LAN, Rage Quit Anomaly, Eagle Eye Academy Pangolins, Valhalla Academy Crimson, Pandacity Vanquish, and Eagle Eye Academy Ethereal Ducklings.


Pink Salamanders (First Seed)

Pink Salamanders logo
Roster
  • Tank: Trigger (South African)

  • Damage: Trizzle (South African)

  • Damage: Nyaan (South African)

  • Support: MetalSnow (South African)

  • Support: Luke (South African)

    • Tank Sub: BLuR (South African)

    • Support Sub: Zlade (South African)

    • Support Sub: TocsInSocks (South African)

    • Support Sub: Vertigo (South African)


Preview

The Pink Salamanders consist of several veteran players in the COWZA scene and are looking to claim their first title as a team since forming in 2023. While they finished in third place in the Sunburst Cup, first place is a realistic goal for this roster, and they are one of the favourites on form to lift the Crown.


Inglorious Blasters (Second Seed)

Inglorious Blasters logo
Roster
  • Tank: Zwoom (South African)

  • Damage: Ontiablo (South African)

  • Damage: The1King (South African)

  • Support: Atsu (South African)

  • Support: Apricornicus (South African)

    • Damage Sub: Condi (South African)

    • Damage Sub: Stirling (South African)


Preview

The most recent victors of a non-qualifier COWZA event, the Sunburst Cup, Inglorious Blasters has been one of the most dominant teams in the local scene, having finished first or second place in several events. Inglorious Blasters are the top three at a minimum but are historic favourites to take all the glory. Condi, formerly of Sheer Cold and currently on Team G4mbit, is a substitute for this roster but rarely plays given his commitments to international Overwatch.


5 Knights at LAN (Third Seed)

5 Knights at LAN logo
Roster
  • Tank: St4lk3r (South African)

  • Damage: Mito (South African)

  • Damage: LikeALuke (South African)

  • Support: Smiley (South African)

  • Support: Squishy (South African)

    • Damage Sub: je5se (Finnish)

    • Damage Sub: Blained (South African)


Preview

5 Knights at LAN is an adaptation of COWZA giants 5 Knights at Freddy's. One of the strongest teams in COWZA, the roster has changed since their second place in the Sunburst Cup in March 2024 replacing most of their international players with South Africans. The newest additions to the roster have not competed as actively in recent years, but have all been among the top Overwatch teams in South Africa from 2019 to 2021. Given their previous results and the strength of the veterans on the roster, they should not be discounted from competing for the Crown at LAN.


Rage Quit Anomaly (Fourth Seed)

Rage Quit Anomaly logo
Roster
  • Tank: LordofTerran (South African)

  • Damage: Kuragari (South African)

  • Damage: Rinkuhaireru (South African)

  • Support: Caycay (South African)

  • Support: JohnWack (South African)

    • Damage Sub: BTSFan (South African)

    • Support Sub: Tira (South African)


Preview

A team formerly playing under the XvG Ragnarok name, Rage Quit Anomaly are a well-documented roster in the community, constantly on the precipice of breaking into the upper echelon of local Overwatch. It has always been a case of “so close” for this team as they have been unable to break into the top three and, coming in off a successful string of results in international competition in the Underwatch Victorium Cup Season Two, will aim to do so at the LAN.


Eagle Eye Academy Pangolins (Fifth Seed)

Eagle Eye Academy Pangolins logo. EEA Pangolins logo.
Roster
  • Tank: PoachedEgg (South African)

  • Damage: Raffiki (South African)

  • Damage: SolarusZA (South African)

  • Support: Jule (German)

  • Support: JabbaTheClut (Belgian)

    • Tank Sub: Taron (English)


Preview

Much like Anomaly, Eagle Eye Academy Pangolins are yet to break into the upper echelon of local Overwatch. Pangolins have often challenged the best teams in the country but can never quite clean up the series against them. The LAN may be their first time breaking into the upper tier and causing some upsets.


Valhalla Academy Crimson (Sixth Seed)

Valhalla Academy Crimson logo. VA Crimson logo.
Roster
  • Tank: Shytoh (South African)

  • Damage: iRissen (South African)

  • Damage: LIM3OROS (South African)

  • Support: p5001 (South African)

  • Support: Okt10 (Norwegian)

    • Tank Sub: SuperBH (South African)

    • Support Sub: Pazuzu (German)

    • Support Sub: Wallace (South African)


Preview

The newest of the rosters that qualified out of the first qualifier is not a team anyone should underestimate. The squad has a few changes to the roster that finished in fourth place in the Sunburst Cup, where they defeated both Rage Quit Anomaly and Eagle Eye Academy Pangolins, but are still at a similar level. They can compete alongside the two teams—as they do in both local and European competition—to break into the upper echelon.


Pandacity Vanquish (Seventh Seed)

Pandacity Vanquish logo. PDCY Vanquish logo.
Roster
  • Tank: Salmon (Norwegian)

  • Damage: Fxyyble (South African)

  • Damage: Limes (Dutch)

  • Support: Chitoes (South African)

  • Support: Circei (South African)

    • Support Sub: PokeyMoley (English)


Preview

A roster formed late for the Ethereal Crown could not qualify for the LAN out of the First Qualifier but was the clear best team in the Last Chance Qualifier, where they did not drop a map. They have yet to show their potential against several qualified teams, but with the additional preparation time for finals, look like the could surprise everyone and challenge the teams outside of the top three handily, even potentially defeating one of the favourites.


Eagle Eye Academy Ethereal Ducklings (Eighth Seed)

Eagle Eye Academy Ethereal Ducklings logo. Ethereal Ducklings logo. EEA Ethereal Ducklings logo.
Roster
  • Tank: PhoenixTears (South African)

  • Damage: Ripe (English)

  • Damage: VoideroonyG (Egyptian)

  • Support: NovaticQueen (South African)

  • Support: coconutZ (South African)

    • Damage Sub: KuduBru (South African)

    • Tank Sub: Somethingcat7 (South African)

    • Damage Sub: ChloeCantPlay (South African)

    • Support Sub: Lyxodian (South African)

    • Support Sub: Tinx (South African)


Preview

Eagle Eye Academy Ethereal Ducklings were the final team to qualify for the Ethereal Crown LAN, finishing second in the Last Chance Qualifier. They may be the weakest team on paper at LAN, but are far from being an easy win for their opponents, having already taken a map off tournament heavyweights, Inglorious Blasters. The Ducklings' deep roster lends itself to various styles, and they are a team that can surprise many. They have already shown what happens when they are underestimated.


Devin "LordOfTerran" "TerranLord" Morris is an administrator for Competitive Overwatch South Africa. Find him on Twitter.


COWZA can be found on Twitter.


The Ethereal Crown kicks off on October 26th! Catch all the action live on Twitch and YouTube.


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1 Comment


Lance Nicholls
Lance Nicholls
Oct 22

First. Well written homie.

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