Blizzard has made it clear time and again that they consider Overwatch a viable eSport, and will take steps towards that end. The new beta patch brought with it a Custom Game mode which brings their aim to the forefront.
Overwatch's new custom game mode allows for a myriad of settings which effect game play. Not only did they add a map pool screen (but who needs that, when you have OWDraft.com), but they also put the framework in place to limit the heroes which can be selected for the current custom game.
Some interesting options to note are:
- Hero Selection Limit
- Role Selection Limit
- Allow Hero Switching
- Respawn as Random Hero
This has some interesting implications for competetive Overwatch, as we may see new rule sets popping up, or even different formats for different leagues (much in the same way competetive TF2 split into 6v6 and highlander). Currently, the meta in Overwatch hasn't seen a lot of double hero compositions outside of the rare double Pharah or double Lucio compositions.
Furthermore, the changes to the custom mode also introduce the idea of hero bans, as eliminating a hero from a match entirely is an option.
The competetive side of FPS games has generally grown organiclly, with players and organizations coming to some sort of consensus as to what constitutes the rule sets of the scene. However, with the new Beta Matchmaking mode, the options are limitless.
If you and your friends got lucky enough to be invited to the newest wave of Beta invites, Teams can register for our EU weekly tournament #3 here, and our NA weekly tournament #3 here.
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