Game director Jeff Kaplan introduces newest Overwatch Features

Loot Boxes, custom games, new game modes, and some much has been announced today. Hear about it directly from the Overwatch Game Director himself.

Overwatch is back!

So many things have changed, where do we even begin? Thankfully, the always collected Jeff Kaplan has released another developer update, giving rabid Overwatch fans a calm method of digesting all of this information.

In the video, Kaplan goes over the big additions to this version of the Overwatch Beta designed specifically with the player in mind. Kaplan gives a poignant look into the philosophy behind these changes, with one quote in particular regarding player progression:

The progression system is the games way of thanking you for playing without putting a heavy burden on you, [you don't] have to level up in order to be viable in Overwatch. ”

Overwatch isn't about forced grinding or mandatory progression checks- the progression system is completely cosmetic and only for fun. These quality of life changes are a big theme of the latest Overwatch updates, including the comprehensive overhaul of the private game mode. Now called "custom game", the mod seeks to give players unprecedented control over the rule sets they play Overwatch with:

Let's say you only wanted two heroes of each role maximum one each team, you can do that. If you decided that Junkrat is overpowered and doesn't belong in the game, you can make a custom game with no Junkrats... there are fun 'embrace your inner game designer features in here... we trying to give a lot of customization and expression to you as the player”

Watch the video yourself and get a feel for all of the changes. Kaplan and his team are embracing Blizzard's (notably the Heroes of the Storm team) recent shift to heightened transparency with regard to developer insights and balance changes. All in all, It's a good day to love Overwatch

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