Overwatch Now Has 10 Million Players

[ffronw]

Overwatch Now Has 10 Million Players

//cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/1329/1329815.jpgBlizzard has announced that Overwatch now has over 10 million players.

Less than two weeks ago, Blizzard announced [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/167597-More-Than-7-Million-People-are-Playing-Overwatch target=] that seven million people were playing Overwatch. Yesterday, the company took to Twitter to celebrate an even bigger milestone: 10 million players.

Overwatch has taken the gaming world by storm, with players putting in thousands of hours, showing off rolling out balance patches [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/167598-].

[tweet t=https://twitter.com/PlayOverwatch/status/742761244159942656]

Odds are that we're going to be hearing about more milestones in Overwatch, as the shooter seems to be gaining more momentum every day.

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[ShakerSilver]

I wish I could understand what keeps all those people actually entertained by the game. Then again I never got why CoD entertained people, so I guess I'm oblivious to the whatever the latest trends are.

 

[sneakypenguin]

Glad I got into the beta for this. Was fun for about an hour then got boring. Doesn't have the creative skilled play of halo(all the jumps and weapon/level manipulation. Doesnt have the speed and level design of CoD. It just felt sluggish and TTK is either too fast or too slow.

 

[Solkard]

Wasn't this game just the re-purposed remains of their aborted Titan mmo project? Doesn't seem like they would be too concerned with the longevity of scraps and leftovers. I think there's a dev interview talking about the decision to make the game just to salvage all the work they'd already invested into Titan. If that's the case, any success would just be a plus ontop of the sunk costs that they were going to have to write off, after Titan was cancelled.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

I wish I could understand what keeps all those people actually entertained by the game. Then again I never got why CoD entertained people, so I guess I'm oblivious to the whatever the latest trends are.

Because like TF2 pre-2011 the game is just about fun. Finding ways to complete your objective in a hectic MP situation is fun for a lot of people. Plus the lack of paying for stuff that affects the game is a fresh throwback to when shooters were good enough to not charge players more money and risk splitting the community.

People like COD because of its skinner box progression system. Granted they have changed mechanics a decent bit since I last played, but it mechanically is set up against team gameplay and incentives solo performance.

I like Overwatch because it plays like TF2 before the cash shop drove how the game played. Its a fun MP shooter with an evolving meta that allows for visually spectacular plays.

I'm not a fan of COD, but that's mainly because I don't feel like buying a new one plus DLC every years. ANd the PC version is always the worst.

 

[ffronw]

I wish I could understand what keeps all those people actually entertained by the game. Then again I never got why CoD entertained people, so I guess I'm oblivious to the whatever the latest trends are.

A close friend of mine who has spent hundreds of hours playing TF2 called Overwatch "What TF2 would be if Valve fixed all the issues." I think there's definitely a nugget in the gameplay that people are digging.

 

[ShakerSilver]

TF2 pre-2011

"What TF2 would be if Valve fixed all the issues."

I played TF2 before the cash shop dropped and with my time in the demo ("beta") the game did not remind me of that. Options in combat and movement were too limited, class roles are far more rigid than TF2 and the streamlining of roles made for less unique class interplay - in spite of the variety of toys between the characters - and class composition seemed to be more about "which character can I hard counters characters on the enemy team" than "which type of role does my class need". Maps are also rather bland and don't seem to be designed with each individual class' options in mind, probably just due to how many classes they have now and will inevitably add in the future.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

A close friend of mine who has spent hundreds of hours playing TF2 called Overwatch "What TF2 would be if Valve fixed all the issues." I think there's definitely a nugget in the gameplay that people are digging.

This. The cash shop isn't determining your loadout or class, the team's needs are what determines it. If you fail to sink a single dime into the game post-purchase, you're still outfitted with a feature-complete set of gameplay options designed to trump and complement one another seamlessly.

In TF2, you might be boned because the latest Demoman decides to go melee whereas the situation calls for area denial. In Overwatch, Torbjorn will always play like Torbjorn and Hanzo will always play like Hanzo. There's no unfortunate surprises, which makes for a more organic flow in gameplay.

Or, y'know, you can always troll the other team if you're on Defense in the Temple of Anubis. Play as six Torbjorns, build turrets, cover all access points and watch the enemy team rage-quit one player at a time. S'good fun.

 

[sXeth]

TF2 pre-2011

"What TF2 would be if Valve fixed all the issues."

I played TF2 before the cash shop dropped and with my time in the demo ("beta") the game did not remind me of that. Options in combat and movement were too limited, class roles are far more rigid than TF2 and the streamlining of roles made for less unique class interplay - in spite of the variety of toys between the characters - and class composition seemed to be more about "which character can I hard counters characters on the enemy team" than "which type of role does my class need". Maps are also rather bland and don't seem to be designed with each individual class' options in mind, probably just due to how many classes they have now and will inevitably add in the future.

The maps have really stood out to me as the glaring fault point of Blizzard never having done an FPS. They're all just a road with choke points to shove the objective on. Someone's haphazardly gone over and dabbed a few side rooms on, but there's no real alternate laneways or multipaths. To say nothing of a near absence of verticality, despite all the heroes focused on it.

I'd have to disagree on the classes being rigid though. I find them all remarkably samey. The nuts and bolts of special abilities vary. But in basic gunplay their time-to-kill difference is negligible, and other then Tracer/Lucio, they're all ploddingly slow. The beam weapons (which are basically terrible in comparison) and Reinhardt are the only ones that really stand out.

 

[Godzillarich(aka tf2godz)]

A close friend of mine who has spent hundreds of hours playing TF2 called Overwatch "What TF2 would be if Valve fixed all the issues." I think there's definitely a nugget in the gameplay that people are digging.

This. The cash shop isn't determining your loadout or class, the team's needs are what determines it. If you fail to sink a single dime into the game post-purchase, you're still outfitted with a feature-complete set of gameplay options designed to trump and complement one another seamlessly.

In TF2, you might be boned because the latest Demoman decides to go melee whereas the situation calls for area denial. In Overwatch, Torbjorn will always play like Torbjorn and Hanzo will always play like Hanzo. There's no unfortunate surprises, which makes for a more organic flow in gameplay.

Or, y'know, you can always troll the other team if you're on Defense in the Temple of Anubis. Play as six Torbjorns, build turrets, cover all access points and watch the enemy team rage-quit one player at a time. S'good fun.

As a once big tf2 player there's 2 reason why I stopped playing. One value has no idea how to balances their game and two they don't seem to care about it anymore. We haven't got new weapons in two years, mvm hasn't been touch in like 3, and I don't even think they know about there web comic but they'll give you 15 boring ass contacts. As slow people are saying overwatch updates are going to be atleast I know their coming.

 

[Metadigital]

A close friend of mine who has spent hundreds of hours playing TF2 called Overwatch "What TF2 would be if Valve fixed all the issues." I think there's definitely a nugget in the gameplay that people are digging.

To expand on this:
Overwatch is appealing to the TF2 crowd, but also a broader online multiplayer crowd. Like Heroes of the Storm or Hearthstone, it streamlines and polishes old systems for broader mass appeal. That's essentially what Blizzard does, and if you look at their current lineup (excluding perhaps Starcraft 2 which is probably the most impenetrable of their current games) they're all distilled versions of other popular games. There's something in there for just about every type of gamer who's interested in online multiplayer (even if it's simply co-op like Diablo III). Overwatch won't appeal to everyone, but it fills a niche previously unoccupied by a Blizzard game. It's hard for me to believe that someone interested in gaming would be unable to understand the appeal of Overwatch (or any current Blizzard game) considering the broad strokes their design is painted in. That comment just seemed (to me) like a flippant dismissal of a genre they they personally look down on.

 

[RaikuFA]

I wish I could understand what keeps all those people actually entertained by the game. Then again I never got why CoD entertained people, so I guess I'm oblivious to the whatever the latest trends are.

Because like TF2 pre-2011 the game is just about fun. Finding ways to complete your objective in a hectic MP situation is fun for a lot of people. Plus the lack of paying for stuff that affects the game is a fresh throwback to when shooters were good enough to not charge players more money and risk splitting the community.

People like COD because of its skinner box progression system. Granted they have changed mechanics a decent bit since I last played, but it mechanically is set up against team gameplay and incentives solo performance.

I like Overwatch because it plays like TF2 before the cash shop drove how the game played. Its a fun MP shooter with an evolving meta that allows for visually spectacular plays.

I'm not a fan of COD, but that's mainly because I don't feel like buying a new one plus DLC every years. ANd the PC version is always the worst.

I thought people only played online games to win. It's only fun if you're winning and whatnot.

 

[MCerberus]

A close friend of mine who has spent hundreds of hours playing TF2 called Overwatch "What TF2 would be if Valve fixed all the issues." I think there's definitely a nugget in the gameplay that people are digging.

This. The cash shop isn't determining your loadout or class, the team's needs are what determines it. If you fail to sink a single dime into the game post-purchase, you're still outfitted with a feature-complete set of gameplay options designed to trump and complement one another seamlessly.

In TF2, you might be boned because the latest Demoman decides to go melee whereas the situation calls for area denial. In Overwatch, Torbjorn will always play like Torbjorn and Hanzo will always play like Hanzo. There's no unfortunate surprises, which makes for a more organic flow in gameplay.

Or, y'know, you can always troll the other team if you're on Defense in the Temple of Anubis. Play as six Torbjorns, build turrets, cover all access points and watch the enemy team rage-quit one player at a time. S'good fun.

One word, Meipocalpyse. Aside from the spike damage from getting 5 icicles to your skull while frozen, you shall not pass!

 

[IamLEAM1983]

One word, Meipocalpyse. Aside from the spike damage from getting 5 icicles to your skull while frozen, you shall not pass!

That one was fun too. The best part of Torbjorn and the Five Other Dwarves - as I've dubbed that particular play - was the entire team just spamming the Ultimate Status message.

"MY ULTIMATE IS CHARGING!" *endless echo*
https://www.facebook.com/weasel.biggs/videos/1781094782119215/

 

[Cowabungaa]

I wish I could understand what keeps all those people actually entertained by the game.

The interplay between classes, experimenting with team builds, it being very well polished, having a laugh with friends and the fact that it has a shitton of amazing clutch moments. That's basically it. And yes that's taking into account that the maps and gamemodes are currently quite limited. I still sink plenty of time in it despite of that.

It's the first time I'm having such fun again with a multiplayer shooter since Mechwarrior Online. It's a breath of fresh air in the multiplayer arena and so damn well put together to boot.

 

[ffronw]

To expand on this:
Overwatch is appealing to the TF2 crowd, but also a broader online multiplayer crowd. Like Heroes of the Storm or Hearthstone, it streamlines and polishes old systems for broader mass appeal. That's essentially what Blizzard does, and if you look at their current lineup (excluding perhaps Starcraft 2 which is probably the most impenetrable of their current games) they're all distilled versions of other popular games. There's something in there for just about every type of gamer who's interested in online multiplayer (even if it's simply co-op like Diablo III). Overwatch won't appeal to everyone, but it fills a niche previously unoccupied by a Blizzard game. It's hard for me to believe that someone interested in gaming would be unable to understand the appeal of Overwatch (or any current Blizzard game) considering the broad strokes their design is painted in. That comment just seemed (to me) like a flippant dismissal of a genre they they personally look down on.

This is a really good expansion. Blizzard's super power is to take things that are good, and make them just as good, but accessible to a lot more people. "Approachability" is kind of a big deal, and it's what Blizzard does best. There are people playing Overwatch who aren't huge competitive shooter players, and they're playing because the game makes them welcome, and lets them be at least somewhat successful.

 

[MCerberus]

To expand on this:
Overwatch is appealing to the TF2 crowd, but also a broader online multiplayer crowd. Like Heroes of the Storm or Hearthstone, it streamlines and polishes old systems for broader mass appeal. That's essentially what Blizzard does, and if you look at their current lineup (excluding perhaps Starcraft 2 which is probably the most impenetrable of their current games) they're all distilled versions of other popular games. There's something in there for just about every type of gamer who's interested in online multiplayer (even if it's simply co-op like Diablo III). Overwatch won't appeal to everyone, but it fills a niche previously unoccupied by a Blizzard game. It's hard for me to believe that someone interested in gaming would be unable to understand the appeal of Overwatch (or any current Blizzard game) considering the broad strokes their design is painted in. That comment just seemed (to me) like a flippant dismissal of a genre they they personally look down on.

This is a really good expansion. Blizzard's super power is to take things that are good, and make them just as good, but accessible to a lot more people. "Approachability" is kind of a big deal, and it's what Blizzard does best. There are people playing Overwatch who aren't huge competitive shooter players, and they're playing because the game makes them welcome, and lets them be at least somewhat successful.

And people are still waiting to see how the ride shakes out because Blizzard also has the power to suck the soul out of anything it does through successive iterations. Diablo, WoW, StarCraft, have all lost the spark while Overwatch and Hearthstone are still vibrant and new

 

[Metadigital]

And people are still waiting to see how the ride shakes out because Blizzard also has the power to suck the soul out of anything it does through successive iterations. Diablo, WoW, StarCraft, have all lost the spark while Overwatch and Hearthstone are still vibrant and new

The only game that Blizzard has really milked the life out of is World of Warcraft, and who can blame them? Nobody else has been able to get that level of success out of an MMO. The only real alternative today to that model is probably Final Fantasy XIV (and look at the number at the end of that title). All the rest are either on fee-to-pay life support or dead. The other Blizzard franchises are doing really well, even Diablo III and Starcraft II. The newer ones, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Overwatch, are all very profitable. Especially Hearthstone.

In Blizzard's defense, they knew WoW was on the way out, which is why they had Titan in the works. Unlike other companies, though, Blizzard isn't going to release a game that they know will be a disaster. That's why Overwatch exists instead. The alternative would have probably been something akin to Star Wars: The Old Republic.

On top of that, Overwatch is an entirely new franchise. It's a little disingenuous to complain about a company milking a franchise when they just released a new one. I'm not a Blizzard fanboy, but let's be fair here: Assasin's Creed is a milked franchise. Kingdom Hearts 1.8 is such an offense I'm suprised anyone even cares anymore. A second Starcraft game after more than 10 years and a 3rd Diablo game after even longer is hardly "sucking the soul" out of anything.