Overwatch
Overwatch
The best hero redesigns in Overwatch 2, and some of the worst
Olivia Richman
Early on, Overwatch developers promised reworks of all Overwatch heroes in the upcoming Overwatch 2. This not only included updated abilities that would even some heroes switching roles, but also the heroes’ actual physical appearances. Many Overwatch fans are excited about the new looks in Overwatch 2. “Overwatch 2 evolves the look and feel of the world, with more dynamic environments, larger-scale battles, additional in-game storytelling events, and improved atmospheric …
Overwatch
5 key differences between Overwatch 1 and 2 from the OW2 alpha
Steven Rondina
The Overwatch 2 alpha is here, and there are already some key differences to note between the original Overwatch and the upcoming Overwatch 2. Some of these differences have been known for years, including new maps, a new game mode, and a new hero. The changes aren’t just limited to these however, with new a number of significant balance changes that will shake up how the game is played moving …
Overwatch
Here’s how to get access to the new Overwatch 2 beta
Olivia Richman
The Overwatch community has been anxiously awaiting Overwatch 2 since it was first announced years ago. The delays were frustrating, but fans held out hope that the sequel would not only launch, but bring the spark back to the hero shooter with new game modes and heroes. Now, Overwatch 2 is finally within reach. Blizzard announced that the Overwatch 2 beta is coming on April 26, offering some Overwatch fans …
Overwatch
Sojourn’s abilities will blow up the old meta in Overwatch 2
William Davis
Mobility and crowd control abilities are a deadly duo, but Sojourn brings even more to the table in Overwatch 2. New Overwatch 2 hero Sojourn’s abilities have been officially unveiled. After the initial debut yesterday, she has been revealed as a mobile DPS meant to counter grouped enemies with crowd control and piercing shots. As the first unique Overwatch 2 character, Sojourn’s kit could hint at the future of Activision-Blizzard’s character …
Overwatch
Official Overwatch Twitch account banned ahead of OW 2 beta
Olivia Richman
Overwatch fans are confused as to why the official Korean Overwatch account was banned from Twitch. On March 24, the Overwatch community noticed that OverwatchKR was suspended from the streaming platform. This is the official account for Overwatch in Korea, which makes it quite surprising to see it in trouble on Twitch. It’s now been five days since the account has been down. OverwatchKR was last live on March 18, …
Overwatch
Here’s how to get into the Overwatch 2 beta, when it starts
Olivia Richman
Blizzard has finally announced the details surrounding the long-awaited Overwatch 2 beta including how to join in and when it starts. Alpha testing for Overwatch 2’s PvP game modes will launch on March 10 for an invitation-only group. Blizzard employees, Overwatch League professionals, and other “select groups” will also be able to participate. Then, a closed beta will be available for Overwatch fans that have been anxiously waiting for news. …
Overwatch
Activision Blizzard sees wrongful death suit for employee death
Olivia Richman
Activision Blizzard’s legal woes are not over. The Overwatch and World of Warcraft developer is being sued by the family of an employee who committed suicide after allegedly being harassed by a supervisor. The complaint, filed by Kerri Moynihan’s parents on Thursday, was first obtained by The Washington Post. In the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing lawsuit from the summer of 2021, Moynihan was referenced without a name …
Overwatch
Homestand weekends set to return to Overwatch League in 2022
Olivia Richman
Overwatch League’s fifth season is coming back and that may include homestand weekends. According to reports, homestand weekends would be returning for Season 5. This would be big news for Overwatch League fans, who were frustrated with the dismantling of this model in 2020. Homestand weekends are meant to be hosted by a certain team in the city they rep. Different OWL teams will fly out to the city to …
djWHEAT calls OWL “dumb,” says he never wanted it on Twitch
Olivia Richman
Overwatch
Marcus “djWHEAT” Graham no longer works for Twitch and has decided to open up about the streaming platform’s relationship with the Overwatch League during a candid stream. djWHEAT is the former director of creative development at Twitch and became known in the streaming scene for being outspoken on a variety of issues within the space and beyond it. The Overwatch League has been struggling to get viewership and support of …
Microsoft to add Activision Blizzard games to Game Pass
Fariha Bhatti
Overwatch
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard may be surrounded with controversy, but it brings exciting news for video game players as the Microsoft Game Pass will now include “many” Activision Blizzard titles. Tech-giant Microsoft has announced that it’s buying the home of legendary games like Overwatch, Diablo, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and more. Activision Blizzard was previously hit with a discrimination lawsuit over alleged sexual and workplace harassment, which …
Is Overwatch dead in 2022? Overwatch’s player count and future
Olivia Richman
Overwatch
Overwatch players are generally unhappy with the state of Overwatch at the moment. Many even feel the game is doomed to be dead. But is the game really in trouble in 2022? Overwatch has been in a difficult spot due to developers at Blizzard spending most of their time on the ever-delayed Overwatch 2. This sequel promises more game modes, more heroes, more maps, and more content in general. But …
Blizzard employee who stole breast milk may have been found
Olivia Richman
Overwatch
Without any new content to take on, Overwatch players have been busy attempting to uncover who exactly was stealing breast milk from the mothers that worked at Activision Blizzard. Parents that worked at Activision Blizzard reported in December 2021 that the nursing area of the company office was unsanitary and lacking in both comfort and functionality. What shocked the gaming community the most, however, was that employees were allegedly stealing …
Overwatch Winter Wonderland 2021 is finally here after delay
Olivia Richman
Overwatch
Winter Wonderland 2021 is here after a few setbacks and it brings a few legendary skins, but not much else. Overwatch fans started to worry around December 13 when they realized that Overwatch’s official Twitter had been eerily quiet leading up to the usual timeframe of the Winter Wonderland drops. Blizzard usually shares some legendary skins leading up to the event, which takes place on the second week of each …
Blizzard exec warns employees to consider union “consequences”
Olivia Richman
Overwatch
Blizzard executive Brian Bulatao sent an email to employees on Friday that warned them against forming a union. Bulatao, a former staffer for Donald Trump’s administration who now works for Activision Blizzard, told Blizzard employees that there would be “consequences” for signing the authorization of the Communication Workers of America to represent Activision Blizzard employees in forming a union. Some Blizzard employees have pursued membership in a union after the …
Blizzard accused of abusing breastfeeding parent employees
Olivia Richman
Overwatch
Activision Blizzard has been dealing with ongoing gender discrimination and harassment allegations since the company was sued by the state of California. As employees continue to be frustrated with Blizzard’s handling of the accusations, including some who come out against Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, others have revealed more negative experiences had while working at the Overwatch and World of Warcraft developer. The most recent accusations came from breastfeeding parents …
Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is considering leaving the company
Olivia Richman
Overwatch
A new report by The Wall Street Journal states that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is considering stepping down if internal issues cannot be quickly resolved. During an internal meeting with senior managers on Friday, November 19, Kotick told staff he was “thinking about the possibility” of leaving the company if he is unable to properly address Blizzard’s discrimination and harassment issues “with speed.” The Wall Street Journal reported that …
Blizzard employees stage walkout after Bobby Kotick accusations
Olivia Richman
Overwatch
Activision Blizzard is still experiencing inner turmoil as its employees walked out on the company in response to the latest allegations that have rocked it. Blizzard employees are calling for CEO Bobby Kotick to be replaced after further allegations of misconduct and sexism were revealed in a new report by the Washington Journal. According to the report, Kotick knew about the sexual misconduct “for years.” In response to the employees’ …
Blizzard cancels annual BlizzCon events, and this is why
Olivia Richman
Overwatch
Blizzard has announced that next year’s BlizzCon event is canceled. In spring of 2021, Blizzard initially stated that an online event, BlizzConline, would be coming in early 2022. This was a way for Blizzard to “connect with everyone again” due to the ongoing health risks of hosting an in-person BlizzCon. But now, Blizzard is canceling the annual event altogether. “This was a tough decision for all of us to make, …
Overwatch’s McCree finally has name changed to Cole Cassidy
Steven Rondina
Overwatch
Jesse McCree’s name change has finally come into effect in Overwatch. Blizzard has announced that McCree is now Cole Cassidy. The hero’s name change is one of the lingering effects of the recent sexual misconduct case against Blizzard. The name change for McCree comes with a retcon for the cowboy’s backstory. Blizzard’s explanation for the rebrand is that McCree’s name has actually been Cole Cassidy all along, and that McCree …
Overwatch 2 hero designers reveal big changes to Echo, Hanzo, and Doomfist
Olivia Richman
Overwatch
The Overwatch 2 hero design team revealed that Hanzo and Echo are the next DPS heroes to get a big update in the upcoming sequel. The developers hosted a Reddit AMA to explain the DPS updates in the /r/CompetitiveOverwatch subreddit. A hero developer using the handle Josh offered insight into the redesign of Echo and Hanzo and explained how these changes would help balance the sequel’s five-on-five format. One of …
Overwatch has become a mainstay in competitive gaming, though the Blizzard creation hasn’t always had a smooth road to travel. From massive peaks of success to major controversies and dips in popularity, the Overwatch franchise has proved resilient, still playing host to legions of players and fans.
Along the way, the game served as host to one of the most ambitious projects in the growing history of esports, and saw the release of a sequel that changed in form and function multiple times before finally releasing to the public.
What is Overwatch?
Overwatch is a prototypical “hero shooter,” a game that combines first-person shooting gameplay with heroic abilities that are unique to each of the game’s diverse cast of characters. One character might swing a giant hammer and wield a protective shield behind which teammate can take cover, while another might zip around the game’s world with twin guns blazing, warping time and space at will.
That variety of characters and playing styles is a big reason for Overwatch’s success. When no two characters play exactly alike, the sheer variety available in the game becomes a draw. Throw in colorful visuals, dynamic and responsive gameplay, and action-packed battles between teams of opposing players all combining their different abilities together, and you can begin to understand the popularity of Overwatch.
When developers at Blizzard first released Overwatch, there was nothing else quite like it. The closest any major release had come was likely Team Fortress 2, which also featured teams of opposing characters wielding varied abilities in prolonged battles. But Overwatch leaned even further into the unique qualities of its characters, including their presentation. Across PCs and consoles alike, the game proved to be a sensation upon its 2016 release.
What happened to the Overwatch League?
Originally founded in 2017, the Overwatch League was meant to serve as a long-term competitive hub for the game’s professional teams and players prior to its official shutdown in 2024. The league was created with big ambitions in mind, as Blizzard, by then partnered with massive publisher Activision, planned to seed local teams in a variety of cities spread across the world. The idea was to emulate traditional professional sports by rooting pro teams in certain cities and regions in the hopes of cultivating local fan followings.
This was a big change compared what had become the standard in esports, with esports organizations representing themselves to their fans regardless of region. At most, broad regions such as North America or Europe were most often marketed to by individual teams. To hone that in on a specific city was a significant change.
Activision-Blizzard also took the step of making pro Overwatch a closed system; that is, high-level tournaments were broadly restricted outside of official OWL events. While this exclusivity offered theoretical opportunity for the OWL through scarcity, it was also a different approach relevant to the established norm in esports, which traditionally saw smaller grass-roots events feed into a game’s highest levels as tournaments gradually scaled up in prominence and prize offerings.
Demanding tens of millions of dollars from investors who sought to own an OWL team and signing big-money exclusive broadcast deals with streaming platforms, the OWL got itself off to a hot start. But concerns over flagging viewership and overall revenue struggles persisted as the league marched forward. Its intended model proved unsustainable, and the league was eventually shut down.
Do people still play Overwatch?
Despite the fate of OWL, Overwatch remains broadly popular in its current form: Overwatch 2. The game remains under active development at Activision-Blizzard, regularly receiving new in-game events and more unique heroes with special abilities that allow the game to be played in different ways.
The release of Overwatch 2 was itself not without some controversy, as Blizzard’s plans for its contents changed and shifted through the sequel’s development cycle, and the final version of OW2 released as more of a continuation of the original game than a distinctly different sequel. But that continuation still preserved the gameplay and overall experience so many players had come to love about OW. For them, getting more of the same ultimately was not an issue.
