On Tuesday afternoon, HeroesHearth, daughter company of Wisdom Gaming Group and long-time supporter of Heroes of the Storm, revealed details of their upcoming Community Clash League (CCL) which aims to provide a platform for the best players in North America to showcase their skills.

According to a press release provided by the company, the project (which has been in the works since January) will span 12 week and has a very clear mission from Day 1:

"The intent of the league is to be a solid, part-time opportunity in which each player is uniformly compensated for their time and Orgs have a sustainable and stable ecosystem they can rely on. This is just our first step and we hope many seasons will follow. We will continue to work, listen, and evolve while doing our best to meet the community’s goals and expectations."

Furthermore, for those within the game's community who are under the impression that this league aims to replicate the now-defunct Blizzard-run professional circuit known as the Heroes Global Championship (HGC), the organization's director, Ian Anderson, wants to nip that in the bud right off the bat. 

"CCL is not trying to replicate HGC. As a former owner of an HGC team, and with great ex-Pro/Caster minds on staff like [Wade "Dreadnaught" Penfold], [Jaycie "Gillyweed" Gluck], [Stafford "McIntyre" McIntyre] and [Skylar "Casanova" Mulder], I can confidently speak for all of us that we loved and still miss the HGC. But, because of those backgrounds, we also fully understand the massive scope and resources that were required to build a league of that magnitude. We don’t have those resources, currently.

Furthermore, although Blizzard has been very cool in working with us to make sure we’re putting together something they are excited about, Blizzard is not directly supporting, paying for, or responsible for the CCL."

As to how former professional and amateur players, as well as high-ranking individuals within the game, can enter to play in the event, HeroesHearth's announcement answers those questions.

Any player who has achieved the in-game rank of Masters or higher by September 15 will be eligible to enter the free agent pool of selectable players who will then be drafted by an organization to join their team for the upcoming season. In total, 48 players (six on each team, including one substitute) and eight organizations will be selected to battle it out for a prize pool where the sky is the limit. Teams will play one best-of-five match per week. All matches will take place over the course of the weekend.

According to HeroesHearth, each organization will receive a base $3,000 per season to be dispersed evenly to the starting players on their roster each month, which equates to approximately $50 per series played. Over the course of the season, both organizations and players will be eligible for prize money they win based on their seasonal performance. The pool of prize money will primarily come through 60% of all Twitch Bits and money donated by viewers to the stream where matches are played.

Players interested in learning more about the specifics surrounding the league, a handbook has been created. Those wanting to apply to enter the free agent pool can learn more about the process here.

Organizations interested in sponsoring a team can learn more about what it entails here and apply for consideration here.

Play will run from September until January 17 of 2021 until a champion has been crowned.