Yesterday, Blizzard revealed Sigma, the next hero on the way to Overwatch. With that reveal, we only got a trailer showing Sigma's origin story, and it was quite a disturbing look at a man who has had his mind shattered by his scientific pursuits. We figured we wouldn't have to wait long to learn more about Sigma, and we were right, as Blizzard today revealed just what he'll be capable of on the battlefield.
After making something of a bombshell announcement just a few days ago, it's back to business as usual this week for Overwatch. Blizzard has revealed the next character for its team-based shooter, and the company did so in one of the most unsettling ways possible. The new character's name is Sigma, and he's a scientist who can manipulate gravity.
Overwatch turned three years old back in May, and over the past three years, the metagame has shifted a few times. It won't be long, however, before Blizzard begins forcing team compositions on In Quick Play and Competitive, today announcing that both game modes will soon be subject to a Role Queue. In these new queues, players will be asked to pick one of three roles before they queue up and then they'll be placed onto teams with two tanks, two damage dealers, and two supports.
Shortly after Overwatch launched in 2017, Summer Games became the title's first seasonal event. Overwatch Summer Games is returning for its third year in a row, and just as with every other annually recurring event, players will have a chance to earn previously-released cosmetics alongside entirely new ones. This time around, however, the Overwatch Summer Games have a bit of twist to them.
Blizzard plans to take its anti-cheating efforts to a new level and will start automatically ending matches where a cheater is detected. The change was revealed in Blizzard's July 2019 developer update, where the game's director Jeff Kaplan explained how the new anti-cheating effort will work. Though game matches will automatically end, regular players who weren't cheating won't be penalized.
Given Overwatch's popularity, it isn't really a shock to see Blizzard strike various merchandising deals with other companies. We've seen Overwatch NERF blasters and cereal, along with Overwatch-themed LEGO sets. Today, LEGO revealed two more incoming Overwatch sets - one featuring Junkrat and Roadhog and the other featuring Wrecking Ball.
Hasbro is expanding its lineup of Blaster products based on weapons from popular video games. The company has unveiled the NERF Overwatch Soldier 76 Blaster, which is styled as the primary weapon wielded by Overwatch's Solider 76 character. Joining the Blaster is a wearable visor resembling the one donned by the video game solider.
The Nintendo Switch would have been one of the most difficult to consoles to hack had it not been for a hardware exploit that not even Nintendo nor NVIDIA could patch via software. Thanks to that, the convertible handheld console has become the target of much alternative software, not least of which is a port of the still unreleased Android Q. And, thanks to that, it's now possible to play games that may not even get a console port, like Blizzard's Overwatch.
As teased over the weekend, Overwatch's big anniversary event is back and it's kicking off today. The update containing the anniversary event went live a little while ago, so from today until June 10th, you'll be able to play through seasonal brawls from events past and unlock a ton of skins and other cosmetics. In that way, these anniversary events are something akin to a greatest hits rundown for Overwatch.
Believe it or not, Overwatch is about to turn three years old. As it does every year on the anniversary of its launch, Blizzard will be hosting an in-game event that'll see various seasonal modes return for the duration. Of course, this is also a good chance for you to unlock some skins that you may have missed during previous events, so if you're a relatively new player, the anniversary event will be a chance to play catch up when it comes to cosmetics.
Overwatch players are getting access to another map, and it's called Havana. The game's beautiful rendition of Cuba's capital blends a mixture of classic architecture with modern technology, offering Overwatch players the style they're familiar with while keeping the game fresh. The new map is available to play on the Public Test Region (PTR) now.
Well that didn't take very long: shortly after revealing Overwatch's 30th hero, Baptiste, with an origin trailer, Blizzard has revealed what he's actually capable of. As his origin story suggested, Baptiste is a support hero and will be joining the likes of Mercy, Ana, Brigette, and Moira. He isn't all about healing, however, as he can enable his team when it comes to dishing out damage.