Boise State Esports collaborated with NACE Starleague to host the Overwatch Final Showdown Powered by Dunkin’. This event was the last collegiate Overwatch 1 tournament. With Overwatch 2 now live, Blizzard shut down all servers for Overwatch 1. The tournament was hosted over the past weekend on Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2.
While many universities competed in the qualifiers for the tournament, only 8 made it to the final bracket. Boise State competed alongside Northwood, Maryland, Ohio State, UTD, Bryant Stratton, Northeastern, and Illinois. All teams competed for a $2,500 prize pool with the winning team getting $1,250. Boise State finished second in the tournament, falling to Northwood in the grand finals.
Casting the event were familiar faces from Boise State, including Artemis Rainn, Jacob Palmer, Brenner Ladd, Jarid Castiglione, and Audrey Norris. While the prize money was a plus for winning teams, the main purpose of the event was to be a heartfelt sendoff for Overwatch 1. Over the course of two days, many established tropes for the game played out one last time, including draws on 2CP, statue of liberty plays on Kings Row, and the infamous C9.
Many participants felt a mix excitement for the future of Overwatch, but also a lot of heavy nostalgia for the original game by the end of the event. Closing out the event, caster Artemis Rainn left a heartfelt tribute to Overwatch 1 on their Twitter account.
“You gave me a hobby, a passion, a family and career. Thank you Overwatch.”
Written by Jacob Palmer.
