Overwatch 2: Beta, Ping and Cross-Play… Blizzard delivers new information

Overwatch 2

For or against a Ping system?

During this new intervention on Reddit, the team behind Overwatch 2 returned to several important elements, starting by mentioning the probable arrival of a ping system inspired by that of Apex Legends. Indeed, it is Aaron Keller, the director of the game in person who returned to this aspect by indicating to the players to work on a prototype. However, he clarified that this idea might not be implemented in the final version of the game.

We've really thought about this. In fact, we currently have a prototype that works in-house. We don't make a habit of promising things to players before they're actually announced and I'm not going to break that tradition just yet, but it's something we're all passionate about and we're working on right now. Aaron Keller, Director of Overwatch 2

The implementation of this system in Rainbow Six Siege and in Apex Legends has greatly improved communication in multiplayer games, we hope that this idea will indeed land on Overwatch 2.

A beta and cross-play for Overwatch 2?

For his part, John Lafleur, the technical director of Blizzard, lingered for a long time on the idea of ​​putting in place of a beta for Overwatch 2. And while the answer is not very clear yet, the CTO has still said he hopes it will.

Almost certainly, yes! If I knew I couldn't tell you and if I told you I would have to kill you. John Lafleur, Technical Director of Blizzard '' '

The same doubt persists for the arrival of cross-play and a cross-progression system between Overwatch, first of the name and Overwatch 2. However, John Lafleur clarifies that it is more than likely that the FPS only supports cross-play.

We are very excited about the possibilities of cross-play and cross-progression, but we have nothing to announce today. However, given the additional complexities that cross-progression offers, it would probably make more sense to tackle cross-play first and then explore cross-progression as a potential complement, at least if we are concerned. let's follow this path. John Lafleur

New features for Overwatch 2

Obviously, Overwatch 2 will arrive on the market with many improvements in order to stand out from the first game. In particular, it will offer better optimization and better lighting, but that's not all ... The title will also feature a scripted PvE mode allowing players to further explore the lore of this already gigantic universe.

Yes, we have had a lot of changes in the game engine. Lots of optimizations, better lighting and lots of new features have been added. PvE has also given us a lot more to examine how our environments tell our story. (...) In addition, as the hardware has evolved a lot since the launch of Overwatch, we are taking the opportunity (both on the artist side and on the technical side) to strengthen our functionalities and the high-end part. John Lafleur

Unfortunately, we end with bad news. Indeed, unlike the Xbox Series X version of the very first Overwatch, the technical director also clarified that the PlayStation 5 version of the first opus will not obtain a patch adding 120 fps. The goal is to focus fully on the development of the second chapter.

We do not plan to do so at the moment. (...) Instead, we're taking this time to focus on making Overwatch 2 to be the best it can be on next-gen consoles. John Lafleur

As a reminder, Overwatch 2 should be released at the earliest in 2022 on PC and consoles. It will therefore be necessary to be patient to get your hands on this new multiplayer experience.

You may also like:

Overwatch 2 - Blizzard's Hero Shooter has plenty of ideas! BlizzCon 2019 Overwatch 2: The Structure of the PvP Game Changes Drastically Source: Reddit

---

Overwatch 2 beta confirmed, potential cross-play and ping system teased

To celebrate Overwatch's fifth anniversary, the game's developers hosted an AMA on Reddit. They discussed the state of Overwatch, its sequel Overwatch 2, and the development roadmap for the future.

Overwatch's game director and its community manager joined the AMA panel, where fans had a field day asking them about Overwatch 2 and its developmental focus. The following are some of the main takeaways from the thread.

Also read: Is GTA Online's Progen T20 worth it in 2021?

The now completed AMA saw thousands of fans posing their questions to the development team with some interesting outliers from the pool.

When asked about the possibility of a beta for Overwatch 2, technical director John Lafleur said,

'Almost certainly, yes. If I knew when, I couldn’t tell you. If I told you, I’d have to kill you. But (game director Aaron Keller) is our resident secret-leaker, so you might give him a try!'

The next topic of discussion was the addition of an Apex Legends-style ping system that seems to have been ported to almost every game in recent times. Developers said that,

'We’ve definitely considered this, In fact we have a prototype of it running internally right now. We don’t make a habit of promising things to players until they are actually announced and I’m not going to break that tradition right now (I’m sure I’ll blow it at some other point in this AMA), but it is something that we are excited about as a team and are working through issues currently.”

When asked about cross-play and cross-progression, the developers said that they had nothing to share at the moment but touched on their plan if the deliberation became a reality.

'We’re pretty excited about the possibilities of cross-play and cross-progression, but we don’t have anything to announce, today. However, given the additional complexities of cross-progression, it would probably make most sense to tackle cross-play, first and then explore progression as a potential add-on, if we go this route.'

Overwatch 2 still hasn't received a definite release date, but it has been confirmed that the game will no longer be 6v6 as developers are opting for a more traditional 5v5.

Also read: 5 most effective ways to deal with griefers and annoying players in GTA Online