by JR Cook - 9 years ago     show comments

The Overwatch team held a press conference questions and answer session the other day featuring Game Director Jeff Kaplan and Creative Director Chris Metzen. The two answered questions regarding developing a new game universe, storytelling, social and community features, and the future of Blizzard’s new first-person, team-based shooter.

We recorded the session in a two-part video available via our BlizzPro YouTube channel. Notes and videos are viewable below.

1. Overwatch Press Conference Q&A Videos
2. Overwatch Press Conference Q&A Notes

Overwatch Press Conference Q&A Videos

Overwatch Press Conference Q&A Notes

New Game Universe

• Other Blizzard games are immersive experiences–you jump into the world and experience story alongside gameplay
• Overwatch‘s story will be separated from the gameplay so that the two can “breathe on their own”
  • No specific details, but story will be explored through external media, such as the already-shown trailers/cinematic
  • Metzen wants to expand Overwatch‘s story through all mediums, including books and animations
• Overwatch‘s audience is supposed to be all-inclusive (age, gender, etc.)
  • Although there is no rating yet, the team will stick to a general moral compass seen in other Blizzard games (abstaining from profanity was specified)
  • Thematically, the team is aiming for an optimistic, hopeful feel
• Overwatch‘s art mixes old styles from seasoned Blizzard artists and new, bold styles from talented new(er) hires

Game Design

• Game is being designed as a first-person shooter with a heavy emphasis on multiplayer gameplay and teamwork
• Game elements are designed to make it more approachable and accessible than traditional FPS games
  • Many heroes have gameplay that doesn’t emphasis “twitch” gameplay, or standard FPS gameplay revolving around the crosshair and pinpoint shooting accuracy
    • (Healing Characters) Mercy emphasizes watching others’ health bars and determining when to heal or buff allies
    • (Building Characters) Symmetra’s ability to lay down 6 turrets on walls, ceilings, and floors emphasizes predicting and manipulating enemy movement
  • Developers are staying away from Deathmatch-like gameplay because the game is based on teamwork, not mowing down enemies
    • Support classes don’t fair well on their own and would be obsolete for this kind of gameplay
    • They understand many players enjoy Deathmatch gameplay but feel there’s a strong desire for team and objective-based gameplay
• Other Blizzard games have contributed to Overwatch‘s features, but the game is unique at its core
• Part balance is a concern
  • While it will be possible to play several of the same characters on one team, the gameplay generally makes such teams fail at conquering objectives due to lack of team well-roundedness
  • If such an approach ever seems to work overwhelmingly well, feedback will be sent to their experienced balance team to look into the issue

Future of Overwatch

• The team plans to pursue extensive social features, as Blizzard’s leadership and core design philosophies stress community-centeredness
• The team plans to create “a huge amount of engagement” for players
  • Every Blizzard game is a dedication to serving players for years to come
  • The team looks at Overwatch as a universe to develop and a unique shooter to perfect
  • The team wants everyone to desire to learn more about each hero and wants to develop their story in the long-term
• As far as future plans, the Overwatch team “has its hands full” with the base game for now
• Dedicated servers sound like a cool idea, but they currently have no input on it
• Blizzard will be hosting its own servers for Overwatch

Other Cool Stuff

• There was a game called Nomad that Blizzard was working on; after its cancellation, they developed World of Warcraft–there were many cross-over ideas
• Although many large studios are delving into new types of FPS games right now, Blizzard did not develop Overwatch to follow a development trend–they simply began developing something they enjoy
  • Metzen explained that “back in the day,” RTS games were popular when they worked on titles like Warcraft and Starcraft
  • They also mentioned that they believe the game industry gets better at making games as they look at each other and see what they like and how they can improve
• Blizzard’s leadership shoulders the risk when its developers want to make something new–they’re generally very supportive
• Blizzard’s compass for developing great games comes in part from not wanting to let down each other (internally)

(Source: Overwatch Press Conference, BlizzPro, BlizzCon 2014)