Blizzard has a new first person shooter on its way, and need gamers to stress test their servers. It has been almost a year since Overwatch was unveiled at BlizzCon 2014. The game has since picked up attention for its unique scoring style and its emphasis on cooperative gameplay. Each character hero in the game has its own role and abilities that have significant impact to the team's performance. Overwatch is scheduled for beta testing on October 27.
Blizzard's first FPS game has caught the attention of the gaming public in that it is a different world altogether, despite comparisons with other FPS, but Blizzard has their way of changing the playing field. In an interview with game designer Geoff Goodman, Overwatch has reportedly removed scoring against other players altogether. VG247 describes the individual scoring system as a fresh change from the old player-rank tally. Scoring has been replaced instead with an individual player stats in relation to other players. Individual player stats will not be visible to all, but will give a player gauge where they stand in terms of rank with other players.
Overwatch will be needing players for a beta-version field test very soon. Game Director Jeff Kaplan spoke with IGN with regards to the upcoming beta testing. The highlight of beta testing is to test the game servers and see if it can sustain the weight of a lot of people playing at the same time. Kaplan is noted in saying that fans who have followed Blizzard beta testing will know that major changes can happen if the developers find that a game is not up to par with their expectations. According to IGN, the beta test will include voice chat, private lobbies, as well as a spectator mode. Kaplan expects that Overwatch will be a good addition to Blizzard's eSports events, both to watch and to play.
Overwatch Beta will be conducted as a closed beta session. More information can be found through Battle.Net, with a link to the sign-up page. Willing participants should keep in mind that the closed beta will only be conducted with a small, controlled number. Beta testing weekends will also be conducted, in which a large number of players will be invited to participate over the course of a weekend in order to stress test the game servers.
Overwatch will launch its first phase of closed beta testing on October 27th and will run for an undetermined amount of time.
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