The "Future of Overwatch" panel allows us to learn more about the design of the new game, but also about upcoming additions to the first Overwatch game. Jeff Kaplan and Aaron Keller present their projects for this new game.
Push Mode
Push is the first game mode that is available in arcade, quick game and even OWL. The objective of the Push mode is to move a robot to the enemy base. A confrontation is made between the two teams in order to move the robot as far as possible, to guide it towards checks points which will allow it to save their progress. The robot only advances if it is escorted, just like escort maps. The maps have been designed to be symmetrical so that both teams have the same objectives.
New maps design
Developers want to keep all the identity of the maps to provide "reality" into their new game. That's why most map developers come from all over the world to push realism even further.
Having new maps to play on Overwatch gives novelty to players. All maps are still under development, so they are not yet available in game. Be patient!
Story missions design
The purpose of these missions is to provide more lore to Overwatch player. Overwatch 2 begins with the renewal of Overwatch — an international task force formed during the Omnic Crisis. This new game will allow us to discover what the organization becomes long after the story of Overwatch first of the name.
The developers are still very enigmatic on the lore, but they have a lot of surprises in store for us, especially for McCree who seems to have "disappeared" since BlizzCon 2018's animated short.
Combination of heroes is a key element in these missions and developers are still working on this brand new system.
Cinematics
Each hero will have their own cinematics during the course of their stories. The choice to have brought more cinematics allows to provide more lore content and to please players.
Item system
The item system is different from Diablo and WoW ones. It's more similar to Apex Legends for one reason: items are temporary. These items have different abilities and we have the choice of whether or not retrieve them. At the moment, they have three characteristics: offensive, defensive and tactical.
This is a new feature that allows us to have more options for our gameplay.
Hero missions
These missions allow us to put ourself in a brand new role. These are designed to help us discover more about the hero we'll play. In this way, we would learn how to play with specific heroes but also learn more about their personal history. This mode is designed to give players much more diversity.
New enemies
New threats will emerge during Overwatch 2, but they are currently under development.
Talent system
The progression in this new game is made by a tree talent system, available during story missions. The further you go in the story, the more powerful your favorite character will get — knowing that all heroes will be balanced.
Developers invite us to build our talent tree according to game modes. Combinations between heroess will be possible and needed to hit hard. Use your imagination to make the most optimal combinations.
Graphic engine and graphic redesign
The graphic engine has been updated. Since Overwatch 2 is a new game, the developers wanted to provide new graphics to give novelty to players. From the eyes, to the skin, efforts have been made to improve the image quality for players.
Overwatch 2 takes place several years after the Overwatch events. Heroes' new designs show how far they have come between the two games. The transition from Overwatch to Overwatch 2 is a long story that required a graphic redesign but also of the HUD. The objective is to make modifications to give a new perspective on how to play Overwatch 2.
All the navigation, interface, maps and heroes will be modified.
New heroes
All Overwatch 2 heroes will be integrated into the Overwatch lore. Two new heroes have already been announced
- Sojourn (Canadian)
- Echo (Omniac)
During the opening ceremony, Overwatch 2 has been revealed! It announces a brand new era for Overwatch. Find all the information about this new Blizzard game.
