Blizzard's continued support of "Overwatch" just got an update with news released by game director Jeff Kaplan. In a community-focused developer update, Jeff Kaplan gave the following "Overwatch" details.
Firstly the closest batch of "Overwatch" updates are in the PTR (Public Test Region), which see some hero balance tweaks. Jeff Kaplan specifically mentioned "Overwatch" hero Widowmaker, whose adjustments to her scope should make her fairer to use.
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Jeff Kaplan also mentioned by name "Overwatch" hero Junkrat, and how his trap reacts to Genji's trap. It seems that the days of Genji dashing through Junkrat's trap will soon be over with this attempt of making Junkrat a more complete defensive hero.
Although Widowmaker and Junkrat were mentioned, Jeff Kaplan indicated these are not the only tweaks around the corner in the pursuit of balance amongst all the "Overwatch" heroes. Most interesting though with regards to "Overwatch" hero tweaks (and it seems, much further down the line) were the changes planned for Symmetra.
Although Jeff Kaplan didn't go into specifics here, the "Overwatch" game director mentioned that he would like to see Symmetra used in her role in a more versatile way. Currently, "Overwatch" players tend to use Symmetra as a one-off first line of defence.
For changes to Symmetra in "Overwatch" Jeff Kaplan was hesitant to give a date. However, Jeff Kaplan estimated that "Overwatch" fans would see the changes to Symmetra in mid-November at the earliest.
Other incoming "Overwatch" changes are specifically geared to the eSports community. Improved camera smoothness and bookmarking of cameras within the arena for spectators were mentioned, along with some pre-defined camera positions for map objectives.
"Overwatch" recently had its own eSports tournament with a $300,000 prize pool. This was in the form of the "Overwatch Open tournament" (a collaboration between broadcasting mega-corporation Turner's ELEAGUE and eSports specialists FACEIT) after less than half a year of release.
It makes sense then that Blizzard would encourage the growth of this new area of gaming. That along with the streaming boom that comes with it.
Parent Herald reports on the latest official word as of yet unseen future of "Overwatch" such as new heroes. Also reported are the new "Overwatch" maps and game types.
It is clear that Blizzard has no intention of resting on its laurels after the massively successful "Overwatch" release. "Overwatch" is currently available on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
