Overwatch

For the organisation of the same name, see Overwatch (group)

Overwatch is an upcoming team-based shooter from Blizzard Entertainment.

Story

"In a time of global crisis, an international task force of heroes banded together to restore peace to a war-torn world. This organization, known as Overwatch, ended the crisis and helped maintain peace for a generation, inspiring an era of exploration, innovation, and discovery. After many years, Overwatch's influence waned and it was eventually disbanded. Now in the wake of its dismantling, conflict is rising once again. Overwatch may be gone...but the world still needs heroes."

Overwatch is set in a futuristic Earth, sixty years into the future. Thirty years ago, robots took over the world, leading to the formation of an international taskforce called Overwatch, which ended the war in mankind's favor. Overwatch was disbanded thirty years after its formation, and in the five years since, the world has become a darker place. However, a new threat is looming, and heroes will have to band together to defeat it. Multiple factions exist in the world, operating in various shades of gray.

The game's overall narrative will be fleshed out by material outside the game itself. The cinematic trailer that accompanied the game at its reveal is an example of this. Other examples include in-universe tweets, news articles, origin movies, and character articles. The environments of maps are also intended to provide players insight into the game's setting. It is intended that the overall lore of the setting will be fleshed out to the point of standing on par with Blizzard's Diablo, StarCraft, and Warcraft settings.

Gameplay

Overwatch is focused on 6v6 team-based gameplay. It does not feature a deathmatch, as the game is more focused on team play rather than individual kills. The game is focused on heroes, not classes.

No single player campaign is planned. A practice mode will feature where players can take on bots.

The game's field of view can be altered.

The game is in discussion to have an e-sports presence.

Matchmaking is designed so that if a player leaves a match, players queing will have priority into entering the match. At the end of each match, cards are displayed, displaying who got the best in a certain stat. Players can vote for which one should win. This is to reflect that kills are not the sole means of team contribution, per the game's lack of a deathmatch mode. Killstreaks end with character death.

Skins are under consideration for inclusion. There is a cosmetic progression system which currently rewards character portraits, different sprays, and skin tints.

Interface

Controller support will be added to the game at some point, though as of October 2015, the game is primarily being developed for the PC. Blizzard will host all servers for the game.

In-game emotes are available for team communication through a pop-up menu. This includes healing requests. Voiced communication will also feature.

Official

Choose A Hero

Overwatch features a wide array of unique Heroes, ranging from a time-jumping adventurer, to an armored, rocket-hammer-wielding warrior, to a transcendent robot monk. Every hero plays differently, and mastering their abilities is the key to unlocking their potential. No two heroes are the same.

Play Your Role

Whether you're engaging in combat on the front line, providing defensive cover with your energy shield, or supporting your allies by amplifying their damage, every hero's abilities are designed to be effective as part of a team. Learning to utilize your Abilities in concert with your teammates' is the key to victory.

Team Based Objectives

Teams of heroes do battle across the planet. From protecting the secrets of the mysterious Temple of Anubis, to safely escorting an EMP device through King's Row, the world is your battlefield.

Beta

The game's public beta will begin on October 27, 2015. Beta testers will be divided into two groups:

• Closed Beta: The closed beta will be composed of a small number of testers who will have regular access to the public beta test. Feedback is based solely around gameplay. The number of beta testers in the closed beta will be very limited, in order to ensure succinct feedback. The closed beta will begin in the Americas, with Asia and Europe being added later.

• Beta Test Weekends: This feedback is based primarily around hardware and tech. The number of maps and heroes available will be limited. The purpose of these surges is to stress test the game's servers. The first weekend will occur at some point after BlizzCon 2015.

Development

Team 4 is responsible for the development of Overwatch.

Origins

Overwatch emerged from Titan, an MMO that Blizzard began work on in 2007, and was officially canceled in 2014. Inspiration from Titan was taken for Overwatch, though according to Jeff Kaplan, Overwatch was otherwise built from the ground up. It is effectively a rebooted version of Titan. Inspiration was also taken from Hearthstone, in regards to making a smaller, self-contained game.

Work on Overwatch proper (as distinct from Titan) began in the summer of 2013. By this stage Titan had been wound down, and many members of its development team had been assigned to work on other Blizzard projects. A small group was left, which began pitching ideas that eventually led to Overwatch.

Blizzard worked closely with its cinematics department from the outset when it came to character design in the game, whereas in previous games, while such collaboration has existed, it has not been from the outset.

Setting

When work on Overwatch began, it was decided that the game had to take place in a new setting, and one would be inviting for players. When designing the game, Blizzard wanted the world presented to be as fantastical as possible while still being relatable to modern-day Earth.The setting of the game is intended to be a mix of the "dark and gritty," while also being "a world of color and sound and light." It is intended that it be a setting that players will want to keep coming back to and be invested in.

It is intended that the game's art style remains "Blizzardy" (e.g. exagerated proportions, emphasis on color, approachability) while still pushing its visuals forward.

Gameplay

The game originally featured 9v9 and 12v12 multiplayer scenarios. 3v3 and 4v4 were also considered. 6v6 was decided to be the sweet spot, in order to make every player feel important, but not to the extent that blame could be easily assigned.

There was concerns that as Overwatch is a character-based game, there was the issue of players not being able to see their character, as per the game's nature as an FPS. Much time was spent with the voice actors to cultivate the characters' personalities to offset this.

Trivia

• Overwatch characters may appear in Heroes of the Storm.

External Links

• Official site