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Overwatch Players Are Throwing In-Game Dance Parties
Overwatch’s new anniversary event, which kicked off yesterday, is a pinata explosion of celebration and glee. But who actually cares about that? The only thing that matters is dance emotes. Now Overwatch has turned into a giant dance floor. Overwatch players have started using the game’s custom match tools to host dance parties. A lot…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 24, 2017 -
Let’s Talk About Lucio’s New Overwatch Skin, Which Is Bad
Lucio’s new legendary skin for the Overwatch one year anniversary is causing me physical pain. Lucio, unfortunately, has a history of questionable skins. If you’re a Lucio player, you have the exciting potential of being a soccer player, a hockey player, a DJ in a frog mask, or a DJ in a golden frog mask.…
By Gita Jackson Published May 24, 2017 -
Kotaku East
Once Again, Overwatch Isn’t Very Good At Picking Kanji Characters
Last year, a short Overwatch animation featured some iffy kanji choices. It seems the latest Hanzo skin does, too. Japanese has a rather complex writing system that features kanji characters from China. There are also native writing systems called hiragana and katakana that are used along with kanji in written Japanese. The latest Hanzo skin…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 24, 2017 -
Overwatch Anniversary Event Brings Some Killer Dances
Overwatch’s one-year anniversary event is live—that means tons of new Legendary skins, three new arena maps and a slew of new bringing-me-to-tears adorable dancing emotes. Happy birthday, Overwatch, and may each year bring a new iteration of Sombra doing the Shuffle. First, let’s take a look at some Legendary skins: And my favorite…. The new…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published May 23, 2017 -
If Overwatch Was A Turn-Based Tactics Game
A modder has brought a little Overwatch to the excellent Invisible Inc., adding two new agents—Sombra and Widowmaker—to the stealth title’s roster of thieves, hackers and spies. The mod, made by Saltrain, may as well be an official and blessed addition. Both agents look great, having had their designs modified to fit Invisible Inc’s art…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 22, 2017 -
Esports
Pro Overwatch Gets An Official Minor League
There’s been quite a bit of discussion around Blizzard’s official Overwatch League and accessibility, given that reports say a slot in the big show could cost between $15 and $25 million. Turns out, that’s not the only Overwatch esports league Blizzard is launching. Today Blizzard announced Overwatch Contenders, which they’re calling “a development league for…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 22, 2017 -
Overwatch Player Drops Genji’s Dragon Blade Ultimate Within 15 Seconds Of The Match Starting
Dragon Blade is Genji’s ultimate. It grants the cyborg ninja 1.17 swings per second, 120 damage per swing, an eight meter per second movement speed and lasts just six seconds. Player KingFluffy was able to fill up the ultimate meter in scarcely twice that time to unleash a brutal onslaught that left the other team…
By Ethan Gach Published May 21, 2017 -
We Talk About Some Very Weird Ways to Play Overwatch
On the latest episode of our Overwatch show, Cecilia, Heather, and I talk about some very particular ways of playing. First, we dig deeper into Cecilia’s experience of paying women to be her in-game BFFs, then we discuss the plight of that reviled creature, the Hanzo main, and finally we talk about esports and Overwatch…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 19, 2017 -
Blizzard May Have Clarified Pharah’s Controversial Background In Overwatch [Correction]
Early in its now year-long life, Overwatch’s Egyptian hero Pharah’s Native American-styled skins sparked wide controversy over cultural appropriation. We spoke to Blizzard about Pharah’s backstory, and while they wouldn’t fully confirm her heritage, Blizzard offered some insight on their controversial design decision. Since Overwatch’s release, Pharah’s heritage has been a point of contention. Two…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published May 19, 2017 -
First Look At Four New Overwatch Skins
There’s a whole bunch of new stuff coming to Overwatch as part of the game’s first birthday celebrations, among them these four new skins. Via the official Chinese Facebook page for the game (and the Korean Twitter account), below you can see a new look for Bastion, Pharah, Soldier 76 and best of the bunch,…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 18, 2017 -
Blizzard Says Overwatch Wasn’t Meant To Be Political, But It’s Not That Simple
At yesterday’s New York Overwatch event, in a rented-out space in midtown Manhattan, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan stood in front of a slide showcasing an old Egyptian woman, an autistic Indian woman, a bodybuilding Russian woman, a plump Chinese woman and a Mexican hacker woman. “One thing that we did with the game that…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published May 18, 2017 -
Overwatch Director Says Balancing D.Va Was His ‘Low Point’ Of The Year
It’s no secret that Overwatch players are precious about the game’s balance changes. On the internet, fans act as armchair game devs, flooding the Overwatch forums with strongly-worded opinions whenever there’s an unpopular or surprising change. Most recently, the forums overflowed with salt after the popular tank hero D.va received a brutal nerf, making her…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published May 17, 2017 -
CultureCosplayD.Va Walks Out Of Overwatch, Into YouTube Video
Here’s a cosplay team from Korea (AZA and ACROWN) who, instead of just making an Overwatch gallery, decided to shoot a little short movie about D.Va instead. This is one of the best D.Va costumes I’ve seen, since it goes way beyond simply buying a suit, as it also involves making sure all the little…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 16, 2017 -
CultureCosplay
Boys Just Wanna Have Fun
When they’re not saving the galaxy and throwing ninja stars at cartoon characters, Master Chief and Genji like to unwind like tiny little children. Cosplay by Shagohod Cosplay (MC) and Rider Break Cosplay (Genji), photos by Lock.VII Projects
By Luke Plunkett Published May 16, 2017 -
Guy Gets His Dad To Reenact Overwatch Emotes
It’s Friday. Finally! Obviously, it’s time to unwind the same way you do every Friday: by watching a video of somebody’s dad. Nick Luciano got his dad to reenact a bunch of emotes from Overwatch. His dedication to accuracy is surpassed only by the sheer will he’s forced to conjure to stifle his laughter. The…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 12, 2017 -
Esports
Survey: 42 Percent Of Esports Viewers Don’t Play The Games They Watch
Not everyone who watches the Super Bowl plays football, and it turns out the same is true for the League of Legends World Championship. According to research done by analytics firm Newzoo, 42 percent of esports viewers surveyed do not actually play the games they watch. Specifically, Newzoo studied the esports viewing habits of people…
By Maddy Myers Published May 12, 2017 -
I Paid Women To Play Overwatch With Me, And It Was Fantastic
Earlier this week, on Fiverr.com, I selected Biu’s “Basic” package which, in exchange for $5, granted me her company for five Overwatch games. In her profile’s image, a helicopter selfie, Biu is wearing a t-shirt with Zelda’s Link and sticking out her tongue. “If you want a good healer,” her gig page reads, “I’m a…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published May 11, 2017 -
Esports
Blizzard Responds To Controversial Rumors Of $20 Million Overwatch League Buy-In Fee
Blizzard’s official Overwatch League is supposed to be the thing that catapults Overwatch esports to the next level. This week, though, it’s become an ominous cloud hanging over the scene. In the past nine days, nine days, no less than five esports organizations have dropped their Overwatch teams. Why so many? And why now? A…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 11, 2017 -
Overwatch Sky Fight Is Some Dragon Ball Z Shit
People might tell you that Overwatch revolves around pithy things like “team compositions” and “the payload,” but they’re wrong. Hideously wrong. Only one thing matters in Overwatch: airborne superiority. This clip is short, but I think I speak for everyone who’s spent their life with the cold shackles of gravity wrapped tight around their ankles…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 10, 2017