[tps_header]All Eyes On Overwatch[/tps_header]
Things kicked into gear with the reveal of the newest character to join Overwatch’s roster: the hacker Sombra. After months of teasing fans in an extended alternate reality game, Sombra made her debut in a new animated trailer that has become the crux of the lore of Overwatch. Working on the side of enemies like Widowmaker and Reaper, Sombra shows herself to be far more lighthearted than her co-horts. Equipped with machine guns, a quick teleportation unit, cloaking, and the ability to disable other players, Sombra seems poised to introduce a new type of disruptive play to the game. Sombra will be playable on the floor at the convention and available for testing players next week. She will be released sometime after testing.
In other Overwatch news, Blizzard is starting the ‘Overwatch League,’ a new form of competitive play that the company hopes will change the way eSport leagues are currently being run for other games. In Overwatch League, teams will be permanent, meaning that poor performance won’t automatically disqualify a team from the next season-much like most American sports. All created teams will be built at the city level, meaning teams will be rooted in local culture than an agreed upon name or sponsor. Blizzard hopes this will expand fans past following a particular player or lose interest if a roster rotates. The league will also include an extended off-season, meaning it will only run through early spring and conclude every August. According to Blizzard executive vice president of corporate operations Gio Hunt, this is meant to “…make sure that there’s a third-party ecosystem that exists outside of the Overwatch League. While the Overwatch League is the pinnacle of competitive Overwatch, we want to make sure that there’s a robust ecosystem outside of that. You can’t just build the top of the pyramid. You have to have the whole pyramid, right?” Blizzard has invited team owners from both traditional sports and existing eSports leagues to Blizzcon this year so they can learn more about Overwatch League.
Finally, Overwatch will see a new Arcade mode filled with different play modes replacing Weekly Brawls and two new maps: Echopoint Antarctica and Oasis. These are still in early stages of development and will have more details in the coming months. Quick Play is also getting a new update: now teams will be limited to a single copy of a character. For anyone who’s been stuck on a team of Hanzos or put up against a team of Bastions, this is a relief.
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