People certainly do like to play that Overwatch game, don’t they? But like real sports, competitive Overwatch may be difficult for casual spectators to watch and understand. Last week, game director and living meme Jeff Kaplan outlined some changes that will improve the game for e-sports in a video. With the Overwatch World Cup on the horizon, Blizzard is showing off these changes in greater detail.
Teams competing in the World Cup will don colorful team uniforms, with light away and dark home colors for each—the heads-up-display will also reflect these different colors. A top-down interactive map will allow spectators to follow the action in any way they’d like; additionally, broadcasters can create instant replays on the fly. Alongside the top-down camera is a third-person “smart” camera that smoothly follows gameplay. Finally, the interface will allow tournament organizers to respond to issues and errors in an easier fashion; for example, if a player disconnects, the tournament automatically pauses.
While Kaplan verbally relayed this information to players last week, a new behind-the-scenes video (seen below) shows off these features in action. The Overwatch World Cup will take place during BlizzCon on Nov. 3-4. Check out the official website for more information.