Overwatch (video game)

Overwatch

Cover for the game's Origins Edition, featuring the Hero character Tracer
Developer(s) Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher(s) Blizzard Entertainment
Director(s)
Designer(s)
  • Jeremy Craig
  • Michael Elliott
  • Scott Mercer
Artist(s)
  • Bill Petras
  • Arnold Tsang
Composer(s) Neal Acree
Platform(s)

Release date(s)
  • WW May 24, 2016
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Multiplayer

Overwatch is an upcoming multiplayer first-person shooter in development by Blizzard Entertainment. Unveiled at BlizzCon 2014, the game emphasizes cooperative gameplay using a cast of various "heroes", each with their own abilities and roles within a team. The game entered closed beta in North America and Europe on October 27, 2015, with plans to bring the beta to Asia at a later date. The final closed beta weekend began on April 15, 2016 and primarily served as a stress test for Overwatch's servers, lasting 36 hours.[1] The game is scheduled to be released on May 24, 2016, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Gameplay

Overwatch features squad-based combat with two opposing teams of six players each.[2] Players choose one of several hero characters, each with their own unique abilities and role classes. The four character roles include: offense characters with high speed and attack but low defense, defense characters meant to form choke points for enemies, support characters that provide buffs and debuffs for their allies and enemies respectively (such as healing or speed alterations), and tank characters that have a large amount of armor and hit points to withstand enemy attacks and draw fire away from teammates. Players can switch between characters in-game following deaths, which is encouraged by the game's overall design.[3][4] The game's maps are inspired by real-world locations;[5] the first three maps unveiled ("King's Row", "Hanamura", "Temple of Anubis") are inspired by London, Japan, and the ruins of Ancient Egypt, respectively.[4]

Game modes

Overwatch currently has four main game modes, including a hybrid of assault and escort:[6]

Characters

Characters in Overwatch come in four varieties: Offense, Defense, Tank, and Support. These roles serve to categorize the heroes of Overwatch by similar characteristics that can be used to describe them and their playstyle. The first appearance of an Overwatch character in a released game was on April 19, 2016 in Heroes of the Storm.[7]

Plot

Overwatch is set in the near-future Earth, years after the resolution of the global-scale "Omnic Crisis". This crisis put humanity under threat of the "Omnic" artificial intelligence.[11][12] This led to the uprising of robots all around the world and a massive conflict on the global scale.[12][13] To end this conflict, an international task force called "Overwatch" was formed by the United Nations to protect humanity, ending the Crisis.[13][14] In the years after, Overwatch remained as a peacekeeping force, but after multiple incidents of criminal activity popped up around the globe,[14] accusations of corruption and sedition[15] began to surface. The people turned against those who had saved them. Once regarded as heroes, members of Overwatch were then looked down upon with suspicion.[13][14] Then one day, the headquarters of Overwatch were suddenly destroyed – apparently by accident. Officially, the attack took the life of Overwatch leader Jack Morrison and second-in-command Gabriel Reyes.[13][14] After this event, the task force was eventually disbanded.[16] It is believed by some that the cause of the downfall of Overwatch was due actually to an elaborate conspiracy by those who wanted to see the end of the organization, although nothing has been confirmed officially by the UN.[13][14][17]

Development

According to Blizzard Entertainment co-founder Michael Morhaime, Overwatch is intended to "create an awesome FPS experience that's more accessible to a much wider audience while delivering the action and depth that shooter fans love."[5] Chris Metzen of Blizzard acknowledged that parts of Overwatch, such as maps, share "continuity" with the company's cancelled MMORPG, Titan, though the games are completely different.[18] Due to the cancellation of Titan, Overwatch became Blizzard's second attempt at launching a new franchise since StarCraft in 1998.[19] Citing a desire to keep its game styles "simple", and because it contradicted its emphasis on accomplishing goals as a team rather than trying to achieve large numbers of kills, Overwatch will not contain a traditional deathmatch mode.[3][4] Metzen stated that "we have a long legacy of developing multiplayer games, and it came down to 'is it even possible to build a shooter that doesn't feel cynical, that doesn't feel cruel, that doesn't feel nasty? Can you build one that really promotes teamwork and relationship and having fun with your friends, and not getting killed with a thrown knife from halfway across the map as soon as you jump in?'"[20]

The cast of playable characters in Overwatch was stated as being intended to portray diverse representations of genders and ethnicities (including males, females, and non-human characters such as robots and a gorilla).[5][21] Jeff Kaplan explained that the industry was "clearly in an age where gaming is for everybody", going on to say that "increasingly, people want to feel represented, from all walks of life, boys and girls, everybody. We feel indebted to do our best to honor that." Metzen admitted that even his daughter had asked why the characters in a Warcraft cutscene were wearing swimsuits.[21] Despite this, however, a writer for Kotaku still remarked that "Overwatch's women are mostly super slim and clad in cat suits."[22]

The United States Patent and Trademark Office suspended Blizzard's application for a trademark for Overwatch due to "a likelihood of confusion" with a previously registered trademark by Innovis Labs.[23] On October 13, 2015, Innovis Labs and Blizzard settled a pending lawsuit. A week later, on October 21, 2015, Innovis Labs surrendered their trademark registration for Overwatch.[24] During PAX East 2015, Blizzard Entertainment revealed new maps and new characters. They also announced that the closed beta would begin on October 27, 2015.[25]

On November 5, 2015, Blizzard revealed the game's Origins Edition, alongside the announcements that the game will be released for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game, to be sold for a one-time charge, is set to launch worldwide on May 24, 2016.[26] In December, Blizzard then announced that the beta would close down for an "extended break", beginning on December 10 and returning in February 2016.[27] The pre-order of the game was announced and made available for pre-purchase on Battle.net on November 6, 2015.[28]

The game will be supported by new updates, which include new maps and characters, after the game's launch. All of the additional content will be free for existing players and will not require additional payment. Blizzard hoped that through this method they can alleviate the concerns of some players.[29]

On March 6, 2016, IGN's website accidentally displayed an advert for Overwatch that suggested an early-access open beta period would be available from May 3 for those that pre-ordered with an official release date set for May 24. The advert was removed shortly after the mistake was noticed. The next day, Blizzard confirmed the May 24 release date.[30] Unlike previous Blizzard releases, there are no plans for a version of Overwatch for OS X.[31]

Related media

In March 2016, Blizzard announced that they will be releasing comics and animated shorts based on the Overwatch universe in 2016. It includes 6 digital comics, an animated short series, and a graphic novel called Overwatch: First Strike, which focuses on the story of several in-game characters including Soldier: 76, Torbjörn, Reaper, and Reinhardt. The novel is being worked on by writer Micky Neilson and artist Ludo Lullabi.[32]

Controversy

Comparison between Tracer's original pose (left) and altered replacement (right)[33]

On March 3, 2016, controversy arose over the victory pose of the playable female character Tracer after a user argued in the game's forums that it was out of character and needlessly sexualized. Games Director, Jeff Kaplan, apologized for the pose, stating "The last thing we want to do is make someone feel uncomfortable, under-appreciated or misrepresented." and that Blizzard planned to replace the pose. This decision caused mixed reactions from the gaming community, with many claiming Blizzard had forgone its creative control over the game and censored its content to placate one offended user, with others praising Blizzard's willingness to listen to the community and adhere to standards for portraying a character according to their personality. Jeff Kaplan later stated that the team was already unsure of the pose and was thinking of changing it.[34]

In April, the pose was replaced, with a substitute that gaming websites noted apparently pays homage to a cheesecake pin-up photo.[35][33]

References

  1. ↑ "Overwatch Game Preview". MMOs.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  2. ↑ Molina, Brett (November 7, 2014). "Blizzard unveils team-based shooter 'Overwatch'". USA Today. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "BlizzCon 2014: 5 Facts About Overwatch". IGN. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Blizzard’s Overwatch: What we know so far". PC Invasion. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "Overwatch is Blizzard's new team-based multiplayer shooter". Polygon. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Overwatch Beta Patch Notes – November 9, 2015". Battle.net. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  7. ↑ Potter, Matt (April 18, 2016). "Overwatch's Tracer Coming To Heroes of the Storm This Week". IGN. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Classes - Overwatch Wiki Guide". IGN. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Roles - Overwatch Wiki". overwatch.gamepedia.com. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "BlizzCon 2014 - Overwatch Unveiled Panel Transcript - Page 4 of 4 - Blizzplanet | Overwatch". overwatch.blizzplanet.com. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Torbjörn - Overwatch". us.battle.net. Retrieved December 22, 2014. [Torbjörn's] worst fears were realized when the robot populations of the world turned against their human creators during the Omnic Crisis.
  12. 1 2 "Bastion - Overwatch". us.battle.net. Retrieved December 22, 2014. Originally created for peacekeeping purposes, Bastion robot units possessed the unique ability to rapidly reconfigure themselves into an assault-cannon mode. But during the Omnic Crisis, they were turned against their human makers, forming the bulk of the Omnics' rebel army.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Olympia Shaw (fictional). "Fading Glory: On the Trail of Jack Morrison". Battle.net. Blizzard Entertainment. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Soldier: 76 Origin Story - Overwatch. YouTube. July 7, 2015. Soldier: 76: My name is Jack Morrison. [...] I lead Overwatch for 20 years. We ended the Omnic Crisis [....] Bad guys popped up all over the world. Lots of folks said we failed to keep the world safe. Protests broke out. They said that we were the problem, and people called for my head. [...] It was a conspiracy. Overwatch got hit from inside and out. Our enemies blew up our headquarters…and me with it. … They thought I died… Part of me did. [...] Now, I move in secret, [...] hunting all those that brought Overwatch down.
  15. ↑ "Reinhardt - Overwatch". us.battle.net. Retrieved December 22, 2014. As times grew darker and Overwatch came under suspicion of corruption and sedition, Reinhardt could only watch as the cause he had dedicated his life to defending surrendered in disgrace.
  16. ↑ "Game - Overwatch". us.battle.net. Retrieved December 22, 2014. [Overwatch] ended the crisis and helped to maintain peace in the decades that followed [...] But after many years, Overwatch's influence waned, and it was eventually disbanded.
  17. ↑ "McCree - Overwatch". us.battle.net. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Overwatch includes pieces of Blizzard's canceled MMO Titan". Polygon. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  19. ↑ Hansen, Steven (November 7, 2014). "Blizzard Announces New Franchise In 17 Years: Overwatch". Destructoid. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Overwatch first look: Blizzard takes on Team Fortress 2". PC Gamer. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  21. 1 2 "Blizzard wants its diverse fans to feel 'equally represented' by Overwatch's heroes". Polygon. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  22. ↑ "With Overwatch, Blizzard Is Trying To Do Women Characters Better". Kotaku. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  23. ↑ Campbell, Colin (January 12, 2015). "Blizzard's Overwatch hits trademark problem". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  24. ↑ McArthur, Stephen (November 3, 2015). "Blizzard Settles "Overwatch" Trademark Lawsuit". The McArthur Law Firm. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  25. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (March 6, 2015). "New Overwatch Characters Revealed, Beta Starts This Fall". GameSpot. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  26. ↑ Dyer, Mitch (November 5, 2015). "Overwatch: Origins Edition Release Date Set For Spring 2016". IGN. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  27. ↑ Pereira, Chris. "Overwatch Beta Going Offline Until January". Gamespot. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Overwatch™ Ready for Action Spring 2016 — Pre-Purchase Now for Console and PC". November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  29. ↑ Matulef, Jeffery (December 7, 2015). "Overwatch's post-release heroes and maps will be free". Eurogamer. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  30. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (March 7, 2016). "Overwatch Release Date, Xbox One/PS4/PC Open Beta Announced". GameSpot. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  31. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (November 6, 2015). "Overwatch isn't coming to Mac". Polygon. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  32. ↑ Morrison, Angus (March 17, 2016). "Blizz details Overwatch comics and animated shorts". PC Gamer. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  33. 1 2 Good, Owen (April 6, 2016). "Here's Overwatch's replacement for the victory pose that caused such a fuss". Polygon. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  34. ↑ Grayson, Nathan (March 30, 2016). "Blizzard Removing Overwatch Butt Pose After Fan Complaint [UPDATE]". Kotaku. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  35. ↑ Martin, Matt. "Overwatch’s Tracer butt pose replaced with cheesecake pin-up stance". VG247. Retrieved April 7, 2016.

External links

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