A few days ago during BlizzCon 2014, Blizzard unveiled Overwatch which is not only a new game, but a completely new franchise in Blizzard’s lineup, which at the moment seems to consist primarily of games based no StarCraft, Warcraft, or Diablo. Overwatch, for those who missed the announcement, has been designed to be a team-based multiplayer FPS game.
Its somewhat cartoony graphics is not only representative of Blizzard’s visual style, but also of Valve’s Team Fortress 2. That being said, is Overwatch purely multiplayer, or could there be a single-player mode in which the background stories of the characters are unlocked and expounded on?
Well according to Blizzard, the answer is no. Speaking to Kotaku, Blizzard revealed that Overwatch will not have a single-player mode. According to the game’s director Jeff Kaplan, “I don’t think we would ever do a single-player campaign, because the way these characters work… they’re cool when you combine them together.” Kaplan also notes that not all characters play well alone, suggesting that some characters are more support-based.
If you’re worried that this might seem a bit shallow, fret not because Kaplan adds that in order to make the characters feel more rich with background stories, there will be a lot of voice-acting done. This will reveal more plot lines and the relationships between characters on a match-by-match basis.
Kaplan also revealed that the roster is not fixed as the developers plan to add more heroes over time, as well as additional character customizations and skins. However in terms of pricing, Blizzard has yet to determine if the game will follow the free-to-play model, similar to Hearthstone and Team Fortress 2. “We want it to be a fair deal. We don’t want people to feel ripped off,” says Kaplan.
Overwatch’s beta is expected to take place in 2015, so if you’re curious about the game and want to participate in it, head on over to its website and sign up for it.