14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Blizzard is focusing a lot of creative energy on its upcoming Overwatch, and that includes an entirely new take on the progression system for the multiplayer shooter that’s set to go live when the beta period returns from its winter hiatus at some point during January of next year.
Jeff Kaplan, the game director working on the title, explains that this is the third concept that his team is exploring for the experience and aims to make sure that gamers are rewarded both for playing and for delivering solid performances for their teams.
The feature is very important for the title because plenty of gamers might abandon it if they feel they are inadequately rewarded for the time they put in or if they get access to everything the game has to offer too quickly.
Overwatch initially had a progression system that emphasized rewards for playing time, allowing gamers to get access to new character abilities once they hit certain thresholds.
The setup failed to satisfy Blizzard because it tended to cause confusion among players and did not allow them to focus on honing their skills with a particular character before moving to a new one.
The second idea the studio tried focused on cosmetic items and was also seen as being too limited for the core structure of Overwatch.
Kaplan insists that he wants to make sure that the entire game experience is centered on the player and that they are never frustrated with rewards that seem out of reach.
Blizzard is not yet ready to offer full details about its third and probably final take on the progression system for the shooter, but a reveal will take place before the beta returns, after the middle point of January 2016.
Overwatch will deliver a lot of new content for free
When Blizzard announced that its new multiplayer shooter would be sold for a full retail price, abandoning the free-to-play structure used by both Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm before it, a lot of fans were worried about the way the company planned to monetize the experience.
Since then, the team has explained that it has plans to add both new maps and more heroes for free for all those who get a copy, making sure that they have new content to explore and that they stay engaged with the experience.
Overwatch focuses on two teams of six heroes that try to outgun and outthink one another in a variety of environments, with those game modes offered in the beta.
Blizzard wants the game to be very dynamic, encouraging players to switch characters when they die and to work together to achieve objectives.
The company also says that it wants the main mechanics to be accessible to a wide range of players while also offering depth for veterans of the genre.
Overwatch will be offered on the PC, the Xbox One from Microsoft, and the PlayStation 4 from Sony, and is expected to arrive before the end of June of next year.
