It’s very hard to keep a secret in today’s industry, but Blizzard has been doing just that for years. While everyone focused on the now cancelled MMO, Project Titian, Blizzard was working on something else. That something is Overwatch, a new competitive class-based shooter that was revealed this weekend at BlizzCon.
In traditional Blizzard style, it all started with an awesome cinematic. This time though it looked far more like a Pixar short than something from Blizzard HQ, and I’m not complaining one bit.
Anyone else feel like they could watch an entire movie of just that?
The game is going to be a 6v6 class-based online competitive shooter, a first for Blizzard. Although after seeing the game in action it does remind me a lot more of a MOBA than say, Team Fortress 2. All 12 characters have distinct roles, determined by their two special and one ultimate abilities.
Tracer, the British teleporting gunslinger in the trailer, has two pistols as primary weapons while her abilities let her bounce around the battlefield and even rewind to a previous position in time. That’s very different to say, Bastion, who is a defensive walking turret that can deploy at any given time. There’s a lot of tactical variety in Overwatch’s roster already, which means it still needs a ton of balancing.
That’s where we come in, with Blizzard opening sign-ups for the game’s beta sometime next year. Right now there’s no word on whether Overwatch will be free-to-play, or if it’ll eventually reach consoles. It’s looking beautiful but I’m not entirely sold on the uniqueness of the gameplay just yet. Maybe a bit of hands-on time could change that though.
Last Updated: November 10, 2014
Kromas, Guardian of Cenarius
November 10, 2014 at 10:06
Aka. Blizzard Presents a Trailer showing that they can do Pixar better than Pixar can do pixar about a game that’s just TF2 minus the Sandvitch. 😛
Captain JJ the valiant
November 10, 2014 at 10:32
TF2 minus the Sandvitch. So just a plain boring shooter then?
Kromas, Guardian of Cenarius
November 10, 2014 at 10:33
Well the British chick looks fun.
Captain JJ the valiant
November 10, 2014 at 10:44
As fun as British people can get. Hehehe
Kromas, Guardian of Cenarius
November 10, 2014 at 10:52
That’s right Guvnah!
No who wants a good cuppa tea?
PS. I hate tea as it is Coffees inbred cousin. 😛
Hammersteyn
November 10, 2014 at 10:07
What’s the security guard playing asked no one.
Kromas, Guardian of Cenarius
November 10, 2014 at 10:08
WerfBaksteen I think it was called. 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 10, 2014 at 10:09
Galaga?
Kensei Seraph Never Forget Ouk
November 10, 2014 at 10:12
I’m not sure about the security guard but the receptionist plays a puzzle game.
Weanerdog
November 10, 2014 at 12:55
I thought hearthstone
Hammersteyn
November 10, 2014 at 13:15
It is, I was pointing out how they advertise their other games in a trailer.
Weanerdog
November 10, 2014 at 14:38
Course they do 😉
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 10, 2014 at 10:07
…
RinceThis
November 10, 2014 at 10:19
This can’t be you, it looks like a man.
Kensei Seraph Never Forget Ouk
November 10, 2014 at 10:21
human*
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 10, 2014 at 10:26
I’m the alarm clock.
RinceThis
November 10, 2014 at 10:26
Ah, I like what you’ve done with your eyes. PS: Why is the human groping you? 0-O
Hammersteyn
November 10, 2014 at 10:27
Eeeeeewwwww he’s touching you all over.
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 10, 2014 at 10:27
BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP…fzzztt…
Captain JJ the valiant
November 10, 2014 at 10:40
Then I’m afraid I don’t quite understand what’s going on in that picture. Is he feeling you up?
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 10, 2014 at 11:01
Pushing my buttons. I love it in the morning.
Spaffy
November 10, 2014 at 10:44
In my house you’d be in a million pieces
Kensei Seraph Never Forget Ouk
November 10, 2014 at 10:08
Great, just what we need. Short-sighted gorillas with laser-cannons.
Kromas, Guardian of Cenarius
November 10, 2014 at 10:09
DC Comics called. They want their villain back.
WMstudioGames
November 10, 2014 at 10:09
Draw ur boring now…. #MostBoring https://itunes.apple.com/app/most-boring/id925998174?l=&ls=1&mt=8
pic.twitter.com/qGKSOaDrfU
Hammersteyn
November 10, 2014 at 10:10
My galsses, you wouldn’t like me without my glasses.
*Hulks up
Kensei Seraph Never Forget Ouk
November 10, 2014 at 10:11
*Takes 5 steps back*
Ha, now how are you going to find me?!
Kromas, Guardian of Cenarius
November 10, 2014 at 10:13
Well how do you know he is nearsighted? 😛
Kensei Seraph Never Forget Ouk
November 10, 2014 at 10:21
He wouldn’t need glasses to operate a laser-cannon if he was far-sighted.
RinceThis
November 10, 2014 at 10:16
BOOM!
Weanerdog
November 10, 2014 at 12:57
They hipster glasses, not actually for correcting sight.
Kensei Seraph Never Forget Ouk
November 10, 2014 at 19:05
Well then I’d be surprised if that laser-cannon has a charged battery, after all everyone else has a charged battery for their laser-cannons.
Gareth L (That eXCheez Guy)
November 10, 2014 at 10:25
You guys go right ahead. To me this looks like the most uninspired title that Blizzard has worked on.
They’ve remade TF2 and based it on what The Incredibles 2 may look like. The guys at Pixar must actually be quite annoyed at Blizzard’s audacity.
Ross Woofels Mason
November 10, 2014 at 10:34
Was a serious shocker seeing the graphical style from Blizzard lol.
Game it’self though does look pretty damn fun, but eh team based game and slowly getting over team based everything. Probably wont get to into it, because hearthstone =p
Rags
November 10, 2014 at 10:50
The gameplay teaser did not impress me at all. Looks like a boring version of TF2. Bring on UT4 and Fortnite.
CrasH
November 10, 2014 at 12:43
This is the perfect example of my tin foil hat rants that blizzard lost its soul and all that was once good when activision bought them…
The best example was the RMAH, P2W, no the game was not designed for console, pvp will be released soon after launch, that we saw with the 1st title released after activision stepped in… and how it took 2 years to get what it was suppose to be but… all faith gone…
New expansion for WOW… will revamp all GFX… now another expansion and the same promise…
Activision is going to slap a blizzard logo on anything it can, to try and make a few last easy bucks before selling blizzard… promise the world and then once the initial sales are in, focus the next cash cow and let the game you just bought slowly die…
And funny enough they have been trying to sell blizzard for over a year now, but no-one wants to buy them… guessing because we all know the company that once was, is no more but a shell of a name that only exist for the fanboys
Unitee
November 10, 2014 at 15:37
I think you live in an alternate reality ….. enjoy.
Jonah Cash
November 10, 2014 at 13:20
I’ll keep my eye on this… I actually like this style!! But people will hate what is new, that is the trend in 2014!! I will rather hope that it works out and that is fun to play!!
Mossel
November 10, 2014 at 13:25
I just found out that the one hero you can play with has the name Reinhardt! I am now completely biased towards this game.
Bobby
November 11, 2014 at 03:53
its ‘just’ a shooter…why should i spend time on this again?