Overwatch 2 DreamHack Dallas is already having technical issues with 3-hour tech pause

The Overwatch Champions Series Dallas Major has started on the wrong foot as its first match was immediately paused and has set a record for how long play has been stalled.

OWCS Dallas Major kicked off on May 31 with the first match of the bracket with Team Falcons vs. ENCE. The players did not see any action at all before a pause was called in the first map of the series.

The pause was in place for almost three hours as tournament officials worked to fix the issue and broadcast talent attempted to entertain viewers.

The stall in play surpassed the previous record for the longest pause in competitive Overwatch, which was set on August 18, 2019, in an Overwatch League match between the Dallas Fuel and the Guangzhou Charge.

That pause was only about 45 minutes long.

OWCS has said on social media that the reason for the pause is “technical difficulties.”

The coach for Spacestation Gaming, Christopher ‘ChrisTFer’ Graham who is at the tournament and slated to appear on stage, said on a co-stream that players were dealing with ping spikes of up to 300.

He also claimed one of the tournament administrators accidentally turned on the April Fools settings at one point and “struggled for ages to turn it off.”

The players posted on social media about the situation, showing themselves trying to stay warm by playing against bots or taking a nap.

While waiting for the first match to start, viewers earned Twitch rewards for watching the event without missing any of the action.

Teams qualified for the tournament after playing through two stages of competition across North America, EMEA, and Asia. This event, taking place at DreamHack Dallas, was supposed to be a triumphant return for Overwatch esports after the dissolution of the Overwatch League.

The event, however, has not been the return many have hoped for.