Since its debut last year, Blizzard Entertainment's shooter Overwatch has proved itself as a popular choice for eSports fans with the introduction of the Overwatch League for competitive play last November, while up-and-comers can get started in competitions starting next month.

In a blog post, Blizzard has announced the launch of its new Overwatch Contenders League, which will bring amateur players into competitive play across North America and Europe.  Compared to the more professionally-minded league that launched in November, the Contenders League instead is aimed towards "creating opportunities now for players across the competitive spectrum to prove themselves in glorious combat, from the solo-queue superstars to the established tournament veterans."

The Contenders League officially kicks off starting on June 3-4, 2017 and will run various qualifying matches throughout June in both North America and Europe, followed by the playoffs in July for the league's "Season Zero." A $50,000 prize pool will be offered per region, while the final playoffs will reward $100,000 per region as the series will determine "the top eight teams" in both NA and Europe, leading into July's playoffs.

The Overwatch Contenders League will officially kick off in June - registrations to enter the league are available now.