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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.
'Overwatch' will finally address some old problems with Quick Play
While we'll have to wait for Overwatch 2 before Blizzard delivers new characters or big new missions, that doesn't mean developers are done with the first game. Dexerto points out forum posts by lead developer Jeff Kaplan that mention the team will finally deal with a few problems that have been around since the game launched that are tied to matchmaking for its more casual Quick Play game mode. Unlike competitive matches, Quick Play rounds continue even if a player or two drops out, and it attempts to fill the holes on the fly. That can become an issue if you've been waiting a long amount of time to play in-demand classes like damage and you suddenly get dropped into a match with not much time left and no hope of winning, or worse, added just as the game ends so that all you get to see is a "defeat" screen and a Play of the Game that had nothing to do with you.
Overwatch League sets its new online-only schedule for spring
After three sets of Overwatch League cancellations due to the coronavirus outbreak, Blizzard is trying to make the best of a bad situation. The company has released the updated Overwatch League March and April schedule. And as you can imagine, it eliminates the need for teams to travel.
'Overwatch' Archives event opens a month early for 2020
Blizzard's annual Overwatch Archives event just went live a month earlier than you'd expect. The limited-time event, which features story-driven co-op missions that provide backstories for Overwatch heroes, usually takes place in April. For 2020, though, it will run from March 12th through April 2nd, giving you something to do in case you need to stay at or work from home due to COVID-19 fears.
'Overwatch' lead writer Michael Chu leaves Blizzard
Michael Chu, one of most recognizable creatives behind Blizzard's games, is leaving the company. Chu has been lead writer for Overwatch and its upcoming sequel Overwatch 2 since 2014, but he also worked on several Diablo and World of Warcraft games over his 20 years with the developer. In addition to writing for the games themselves, Chu was also behind some of the comics and other fiction pieces published to add to the games' story and lore.
Overwatch League cancels all homestand matches through April
Activision Blizzard has cancelled some Overwatch League matches before in response to the coronavirus outbreak, but now it's taking no chances. The league has cancelled all Overwatch League homestand games for March and April. The cancellations won't affect other league events, but there's no question this will be disruptive to the Overwatch esports scene.
'Overwatch' college esports series will award $40,000 in scholarships
There's certainly an active Overwatch college esports scene, but it can be difficult for a player to stand out and turn pro when there are hundreds of schools. Activision Blizzard, Torque and UMG might have a way for serious players to shine. They're launching an Overwatch Collegiate Clash series that will have college competitive teams square off for a chance at both recognition and a total $40,000 in esports scholarships. The eight-week series will have eight teams face each other per week, with a final round pitting the winning teams against each other.
Overwatch League cancels South Korean matches due to coronavirus
A week-and-a-half after it said it would host a slate of cancelled Overwatch League matches in Seoul, South Korea, Blizzard is now postponing those games as well. The move comes after a surge in Covid-19 coronavirus cases in the East Asian country. Like the matches the company had planned to host in Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai, Blizzard says it's delaying the rescheduled games to "protect the health and safety of our players, fans and staff."
Rumors resurface about 'Diablo' and 'Overwatch' animated series
Rumors of a Diablo anime and Overwatch cartoon have been floating around for a while now. Uber Gizmo reported on a potential Diablo series back in 2018, while Activision Blizzard director Jeff Kaplan gave an interview last year where he touched on his animated aspirations for Overwatch. Now, fans might have a reason to get excited again.
Overwatch League moves matches to South Korea after coronavirus outbreak
The current coronavirus outbreak (aka COVID-19) is affecting the esports world as much as other industries. The Overwatch League is moving cancelled homestand matches at Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai to Seoul, South Korea during weeks 6 and 7 of the competition, with some possibly being attached to Seoul Dynasty's home event in week 5. The league had scrubbed its February and March matches in China to "protect the health and safety" of fans, competitors and organizers.
Activision Blizzard pulls its games from GeForce Now
GeForce Now, NVIDIA's game streaming service, went live for everyone last week. It allows you to play hundreds of games from dozens of publishers in the cloud, but Activision Blizzard's titles are no longer among the options after the publisher asked NVIDIA to remove its titles from the service. "While unfortunate, we hope to work together with Activision Blizzard to reenable these games and more in the future," an NVIDIA staff member wrote on the GeForce Now forums.
'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.
YouTube will stream the CoD and Overwatch leagues in 2020
Activision Blizzard's next big esports bet, Call of Duty League, gets underway today. While the company worked with Twitch in the past on Overwatch League, that's not where you'll be able to watch its latest foray into top-level competitive gaming. YouTube will be Activision Blizzard's exclusive worldwide streaming partner (except for China) for both leagues this year, along with Hearthstone events and other esports endeavors.
Everything in our holiday gift guide that you can buy for $50 or less
Depending on your budget and how many people are on your gift list this year, you might only have a modest amount to spend on each person. Even if you instill a cap of fifty bucks, though, you still have plenty of options. In Engadget's 2019 holiday gift guide, we have nearly 50 under $50, with picks running the gamut from toys, to video games, to books and movies, to mobile and gaming accessories. As it happens, today is Black Friday in the US, so chances are, many of the items here will cost you even less than the list price. Happy deal hunting!
'Death Stranding' and 'Control' lead Game Awards nominees
The Game Awards takes place in less than a month and voting is now open after Geoff Keighley announced the nominees. Hideo Kojima's sprawling epic Death Stranding leads the pack with nine nominations, including game of the year, game direction, score/music, narrative and performance for both Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen.
Colin Furze made a real version of Junkrat’s RIP-tire from ‘Overwatch’
If you need something from pop culture brought to life, then the first person to call is Colin Furze, YouTube's own mad inventor. Furze has already made working versions of the grapple gauntlet from Assassin's Creed and Wolverine's claws from the X-Men. Now, with the backing of Blizzard, Furze has build a real-world version of Junkrat's RIP-tire weapon from Overwatch, which hit the Switch on October 15th.
The best gifts and games for console gamers
This year will mark the end of an era for console gaming. Next-generation consoles are coming in 2020, but it also means both the PS4 and the Xbox One are at the peak of their power and popularity. Not to be outdone, there's also Nintendo's Switch, which has already seen a second-generation hardware twist in the handheld Switch Lite. Our selection for this holiday season runs across all these consoles, as well as including Sega's nostalgia-baiting Genesis Mini. We've focused on tried-and-tested AAA titles like Overwatch on the Switch, and Control available on both Xbox and PlayStation, while also suggesting more under-the-radar hits like Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Risk of Rain 2. Naturally, Pokémon Sword and Shield isn't quite out yet, but from our early impressions, we know it will satisfy any Pokémon fans you're shopping for. And, if you need even more recommendations for the gamers in your life, we have a guide for every console.
What we played in November: 'The Outer Worlds' and 'Destiny 2'
What the Engadget staff played in November. 2019: 'The Outer Worlds' and 'Destiny 2'
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.
'Overwatch 2' may debut at BlizzCon with a greater focus on story
Diablo IV isn't the only high-profile game rumored to debut at BlizzCon. ESPN claims to have a training document revealing plans to introduce Overwatch 2 at the event, which starts November 1st. The description suggests it may be more of a refinement than an overhaul, but there could be significant changes. Reportedly, it'll have a stronger focus on "story and narrative elements," including a four-player experience set in Lucio's home turf of Rio de Janeiro. You might not have to rely quite so heavily on character origin videos to get a feel for Overwatch's universe.
