Unlike other popular FPS titles such as Quake which emphasizes free-for-all matches, one of the hallmarks of Blizzard’s Overwatch is that it seems to emphasize teamwork. After all this is why in Overwatch, different characters are classed differently, where you have tanks to help absorb damage, healers to help keep the team alive, and offense whose job is to deal damage.
However it seems that Blizzard has had a change of heart as in an announcement by the game’s director Jeff Kaplan, Blizzard will be adding a free-for-all as well as team deathmatch modes to the game. Kaplan acknowledges that in the past he had stated that deathmatch mode would be something that would never come to Overwatch, but admits that thanks to the game’s Arcade mode, it has proven to be something of a game changer.
According to Kaplan, “The coolest part of the Arcade is that it’s opened up our ability to as developers to introduce game modes to you guys that we wouldn’t normally feel comfortable putting in the quick-play or competitive rotation.” At the moment the feature is being tested out on the Public Test Realm so if you’re interested you can check it out first before it makes its way to the main game. You can also learn more about the deathmatch mode in the Developer Update video above.