The Republic | azcentral.com

Another national championship will be decided in Arizona early next year.

Collegiate teams playing Overwatch, a team-based shooter game created by Blizzard Entertainment, will compete in mid-February for the Overwatch Collegiate National Championship at Arizona State.

The Playstation Fiesta Bowl and Blizzard created the championship to "broaden (the Fiesta Bowl's) footprint," according to organizers.

The championship bracket for Tespa's Overwatch collegiate series is already set, with teams from Cal, the University of Toronto, Cal-Irvine and San Diego State having emerged from the field of 318 schools that participated in the season-long competition.

The six-player teams will compete on Feb. 17 for prices that include one scholarship for each player on the winning Overwatch team.

An exhibition match between ASU and Arizona will precede the championship.

The Fiesta Bowl, in its 47-year history, has hosted five college football games that helped determine the sports national champion, in addition to three more title games staged by Fiesta Bowl organizers. This is the bowl game's first foray into esports.

"Now is a perfect time to become a part of a new frontier for college gaming," Fiesta Bowl Executive Director Mike Nealy said in a statement. "These are highly-talented and dedicated students showcasing their skills.”