The games take place on fairly small maps, where two teams compete against each other. Each player takes on the role of a hero from one of the three available classes. The player must use his hero’s abilities effectively and cooperate intelligently with his teammates to achieve victory.
Overwatch was designed from the start to be a competitive game that could be represented by professional players in the eSports world
Since 2016, numerous eSport competitions have been held to determine the best specialists in the game. During the annual World Cup, 32 nations compete in pools of 4 teams, before the top 16 teams in the world compete in the finals. South Korea is by far the most successful nation with 3 world titles.
Blizzard Entertainment has also set up the Overwatch League. The first global eSports league, it pits free-to-play teams representing some of the world’s major cities against each other. The teams participating in this league are made up of professional players under contract. The league takes place in four five-week stages before a grand finale is held at Barclays Center, the home of the Brooklyn Nets in New York. The team that wins the league takes home a $1 million prize. In 2019 the average online viewership for Overwatch League finals matches was over 600,000.
Different gameplay for different heroes
Overwatch offers several game modes that take place on maps adapted to each type of game. To achieve victory, teams will have different objectives depending on the game mode. The goal may be to defend or capture several points, to escort a convoy to its destination or to prevent the opposing team from advancing the convoy. The two teams can also fight each other until one of them manages to take control of a specific area before the other. When a hero is killed, he reappears in his base after a few seconds, and the player can then take the opportunity to change heroes before returning to the battle.
The richness of the Overwatch experience comes from the diversity of its heroes. Heroes are divided into three main classes: attack, tank and support. Attacking heroes specialise in inflicting damage, while tanks have the ability to take a large amount of damage. Supporters have healing abilities to help their team members.
Class is not everything and each hero has access to several unique abilities. The player will have to combine precision and strategy to make the most of the possibilities of the hero he is playing. One of the great strengths of Blizzard’s title is the variety of ways to play the game, as the handling can change dramatically from one hero to another. As Overwatch is primarily a team game, developing an effective collective strategy and adapting to the actions of the opposing team will be key to victory.
The game already features more than 30 characters, and Blizzard continues to add content and expand the number of maps and heroes available.
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