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Blizzard releases an 'Overwatch' soundtrack that covers all 21 maps
An in-game skin challenge gets underway tomorrow too.
Overwatch League re-focuses around a tournament format
On Monday, Blizzard shared details on how Overwatch League's upcoming Summer Showdown tournament will play out, along with new tweaks to the controversial Hero Pools.
Overwatch League tries to boost interest with May Madness tournament
Teams will battle in two regional tournaments for prize money and bonus wins towards their season records.
Overwatch's new hero Echo arrives April 14th
Blizzard first teased Echo in 2018. So Overwatch fans have been waiting a while for this moment to come.
The entire Overwatch League regular season will be online-only
The Overwatch League has canceled all of its live events for the remainder of the 2020 regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Matches will take place in an entirely online format until August at the very least.
The next 'Overwatch' hero is an AI robot with an important story link
Overwatch's newest hero is Echo. Fans have been waiting a while for Blizzard to add a new playable character to the game. It's been seven months since the company introduced Sigma, the game's 31st hero. The anticipation for Echo has been building longer still if you consider the fact Blizzard first teased her existence back when it released the McCree "Reunion" animated short in 2018.
Blizzard pledges to fix (or refund) 'Warcraft III: Reforged'
It's only been a few days since Blizzard launched Warcraft III: Reforged, but fans have made it clear that they are not happy. In response, Blizzard says it is "sorry to those of you who didn't have the experience you wanted." The company promises that at least a handful of fixes are on the way.
'Overwatch' will test weekly hero bans in competitive matches
Many Overwatch players have been hoping for some time that Blizzard would bring in a hero ban system to keep the game from stagnating. The likes of Rainbow Six: Siege, Dota 2 and League of Legends allow players to vote for characters the opposing team can't use in a given match, but Blizzard isn't quite taking that approach with Overwatch. It'll trial a system called Hero Pools, in which a few characters will be disabled in competitive matches each week.
Blizzard unveils 'Overwatch 2' at BlizzCon
Following a leak about the game earlier this week, Blizzard officially revealed Overwatch 2 at BlizzCon, including an early look at gameplay. You can expect four-player story missions (a permanent version of the current event missions) and hero missions that take place in familiar and new locales as Blizzard expands the franchise's lore. Until now, much of the storytelling has played out in cinematic videos and comics. The story missions include an item system that allow you to pick up and deploy gear like healing packs, grenades and shields.
Nintendo confirms 'Overwatch' is coming to Switch October 15th
Nintendo has confirmed one of the biggest rumors in gaming over the last week or so is true: Overwatch will be available on Switch this fall. It revealed the news in its latest Direct, after a couple of leaks and a Kotaku report indicated Blizzard's FPS was making its way to the console. You'll be able to start pushing payloads on Switch October 15th.
'Overwatch' is reportedly coming to Nintendo Switch in October
It seems there's some truth to talk about Blizzard bringing Overwatch to Nintendo Switch over three years after the game's debut elsewhere. The rumor mill started churning in earnest when a listing for an Overwatch-themed Switch case popped up on Amazon last week. Meanwhile, a retail leak that's been doing the rounds hinted the team-based shooter is coming to the console October 18th in Europe.
Overwatch League's latest big change is great for viewers
Picture this: FIFA decides to bring in a rule that changes how every team, from World Cup squads to US Youth Soccer National League orgs, plays. They're forced to field two strikers, four midfielders and four defenders at all times, even though many top teams prefer to have more midfielders supporting one main attacker.
The next 'Overwatch' hero is yet another evil scientist
Blizzard waited a little longer than fans expected, but it has at last revealed the identity of Overwatch's 31st playable character. Following a couple of mathematical-oriented teasers over the weekend, the developer confirmed rumors and leaks that Sigma is joining the ranks.
Broadcast your Blizzard games right now via Facebook Live
As originally announced in June, game developer Blizzard Entertainment and social media powerhouse Facebook have agreed to a deal that enables FB users to stream their Blizzard gameplay over Facebook Live. And, starting Friday (hey, that's today!), users will actually be able to.
'Overwatch' open beta pulls in over 9 million players
It's a good time for Blizzard Entertainment right now, as the company celebrates over 9.7 million players having played team-based shooter Overwatch. During the Open Beta across Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, players amassed over 81 million hours of play across 37 million matches. These staggering numbers elevate Overwatch to Blizzard's biggest open beta yet. On average, each player clocked in around 8 hours of play time.
'Overwatch' beta signups live throughout the weekend
Overwatch, Blizzard Entertainment's team-based shooter, is now available as an open beta for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. So if you've been seeing the endless stream of commercials online and were curious about what the World of Warcraft developer had to offer with this raucous adventure, you can get in on it now for free.
World of Warcraft outlines February's events
There are a lot of holiday events in World of Warcraft this month. February contains the Lunar Festival, Love is in the Air, the Darkmoon Faire... heck, it's also going to be the month that the next major raid opens up. Luckily for avid World of Warcraft players, the official site has put together a comprehensive schedule of the month's festivities, starting with the Valentine's Day event and the new raid opening tomorrow. Astute readers will note that Blizzard suggests players prepare for patch 6.1 with no hints about when it's coming out. Whether this means it's going to be later in the month or won't be dropping until March remains to be seen. Then again, the raiding crowd will have plenty to do through the month with Blackrock Foundry, and if you like holiday events, you've got several of those coming around as well.
Diablo III to begin technical testing in China shortly
If you're a gamer in China waiting for Diablo III, you have undoubtedly been waiting for a very long time. Given the game's subject matter and the strict censorship policies of the government, it's not a surprise that it's taken a while to get moving. At long last there is a light at the end of the tunnel, however, as distributor Netease has announced that the censorship issues are finally resolved and the game is free to begin technical testing. The testing phase will begin after the lunar new year is celebrated later this month. While the exact nature of graphical changes has not been disclosed, Netease stresses that the game will still be cool to look at, which could mean... almost anything, really. Still, at this point most of the players who have long waited for the game will just be happy to see it finally available within China.
Rumor: Leak suggests the next WoW expansion is nearly feature-complete
So, ready to jump on the rumor mill? Because it's churning out big stuff about Blizzard today. An anonymous source from inside the company has apparently claimed that World of Warcraft's next expansion has quadrupled its art outsourcing and is nearly feature-complete. The source also claimed that Hearthstone is doing banner business, with its next expansion set to release in April with a heavier PvE focus. Darker news was revealed for the other franchises under the company's banner. The next part of StarCraft II is done but with no release date. Overwatch is in the midst of debates over business model and payment plans, with the studio pushing for a 2015 release but most likely going for 2016. Meanwhile, Heroes of the Storm has low expectations among the upper management and the Diablo III team has been "completely gutted." It's up to you you believe the rumors, of course, although come April, they might look rather plausible.
World of Warcraft adds selfie support
Were you afraid that with the addition of Twitter support in the next World of Warcraft patch you would be deprived of the joy that is taking selfies in-game? Worry no longer. The addition of the S.E.L.F.I.E. camera in patch 6.1 ensures that you can indeed log in, find a nice view, and then duckface at the camera before shooting off a character picture for all of your devoted followers. It's the best thing in the expansion so far. Grabbing the item requires nothing more than a rare follower mission with no significant bells or whistles, with another upgrade mission available to pick up a set of various filters for the camera. Our sister site has a guide to making use of the new device, along with the requisite speculation that it will tie more directly into the Twitter integration. That feature isn't currently enabled, but it can't be coincidence that the new camera arrived at the same time, can it?
