Kaplan Discusses Evolution of Progression in Overwatch

Below are paraphrased notes.

• Team hears calls for progression/reward systems and is eager to work on them going forward
• Overwatch has had (and cut) two progression systems already (deemed “total failures”)
• First system
  • Similar to a WoW or Heroes talent system that would allow you to customize your hero
  • Leveling up would unlock new abilities
  • Having to know all heroes and their possible ability variants in a fast-paced game environment was more than the team wanted players to cope with
  • Increasing player power with time investment didn’t seem a good fit for the competitive nature of the game
• Second system
  • Focused entirely on cosmetic awards
  • Each hero had a level, and the more EXP you earned and higher you leveled, the more cosmetic options you’d unlock
  • The leveling system discouraged players from switching between heroes due to leveling progress, adversely affecting team gameplay
• Beta should resume sometime between January and February, depending on the work needed on the game
• Team wants to focus on a progression system that doesn’t overly reward players for focusing on one hero
• Team wants the new progression system to “be light, cosmetic, and…a way of thanking you for investing your time”
• Overwatch is not about progression as a multiplayer shooter (unlike WoW or Diablo), but will have some elements of it for players