Overwatch

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…

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…

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…

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…

Overwatch Incest ‘Shipping Tests The Limits Of What’s Permissible In Fandom

While it’s possible to play Overwatch and not pay attention to its lore, there’s a part of that game’s fandom that loves it for its lore. These fans theorize about character backgrounds, make fan art, and often obsess over the possible romantic pairing in the game, known as “shipping.” They imagine former friends Reaper and…

Five Pro Gaming Teams Drop Overwatch In One Week [Update]

It’s been a gnarly handful of days for the professional Overwatch scene. Since last Tuesday, four organizations have dropped their Overwatch teams, citing a lack of certainty about Blizzard’s upcoming Overwatch League and potentially prohibitive costs they’ll have to pay in order to join it. Today, esports organization compLexity bid farewell to their Overwatch team…

Overwatch’s Hanzo Mains Don’t Think They Deserve All The Hate

In Overwatch, “Hanzo main” is a dirty word. The Japanese marksman has become a joke, an insult bandied about by hardcore players and school children alike. But people keep picking him, sometimes heedless of team composition and multiple all-caps insults. Why? I asked a whole mess of Hanzo mains to find out. The majority of…

Overwatch YouTuber Gets Harassed After Redditor Makes False Accusations

Over the past few years, Reddit has become the go-to destination for those who feel they have been mistreated and want to hold powerful figures accountable. But the popular website, which refers to itself as “the front page of the Internet,” is also a breeding ground for mobs that require little evidence before embarking on…

Blizzard Reveals Overwatch Loot Box Odds In China

Overwatch loot boxes feel like goddamn Christmas to open. Then a bunch of garbage spills out, and you feel like a jackass. Some people suspect that they’re rigged. Blizzard, however, insists they’re not, and they’ve finally released official loot box odds to back that up. At least, for China. As part of a new law…

Korean Politician Uses Overwatch Video On The Campaign Trail

Sim Sang-jung is a politician currently running for President in the wake of South Korea’s disastrous corruption scandal. She (or at least someone on her campaign team) knows that a good way to reach out to the kids is with Overwatch Play of the Game videos, in which her kills are political owns. Thanks Peter!

Build Your Own Lego Overwatch D.Va Mech

It’s time to stop looking at other people’s awesome Lego Overwatch creations and start building your own . . . versions of their awesome Lego Overwatch creations. Nick Brick’s Legendary B.Va skin mech tutorial is a fine place to start. Let’s face it, Lego is never going to make official Overwatch sets. Their rules against…

This is Acdramon with a custom-coloured Genji from Overwatch.

Paladins Free Open Beta Launches On Consoles

Hi-Rez Studio’s hero shooter caught some flak last year for looking and feeling a lot like Overwatch, but it’s still managed to maintain a healthy presence on Steam’smost-played games list. We’ll see if the trend continues as Paladins launches into free open beta on PS4 and Xbox One. The closed beta is over, and now…

Overwatch Pro Sets Up Surprise Attack By Balancing Winston On A Roof

There are plenty of “correct” ways to play Winston. Dive into the back line, tear up a healer, throw down a shield, etc. LuxuryWatch Blue player Song “Janus” Jun-hwa’s strategy was not “correct.” That did not, however, stop it from being effective. In a recent APEX season three match against CB Spirit, Janus jumped onto…

A group of fans made a seriously elaborate live-action Overwatch short film. Created by Lupin Productions, it tells a dramatized version of Mercy’s backstory. While the grimdark tone and writing don’t quite land (in my opinion), it’s still an impressive production.

Overwatch’s Captain Amari, Reporting For Duty

Here’s Lunar Crow as Ana’s Captain Amari skin from Overwatch. Photos by D.I.S/C Photography In keeping with the Overwatch theme, she also does one hell of a Symmetra:

Not Even Excellent Outfits Can Save Overwatch Pros From Other Team’s Genji

KongDoo Panthera’s outfits are so good. While other Overwatch teams go with the standard “we wear jerseys basically all the time” look (aka “the Kevin Smith”), KongDoo’s players prefer to snazz it up. Last season they wore stylish dress shirts and suspenders. This season? Sailor uniforms It’s a heck of a fashion statement, which I…

Dude Says He Picked Kpop Over Esports

Quick! Which would you rather be, a Kpop star or a gaming pro? Wanna-be idol Choi Dong Ha is choosing music. Choi is appearing on reality music show Produce 101 Season 2. According to mainstream news sites Joongang Daily and Insight, he claims to have received offers to become a gaming pro after apparently ranking…

Buggy D.Va Is Temporarily Unplayable In Overwatch  (Update: She’s Back!)

Blizzard announced that due to an Overwatch bug, D.Va has been removed from the game for the time being. UPDATE April 28 – 2:50am: Blizzard announced she’s returned to the game: Original story continues below. This message popped up in Overwatch, surprising players. A short tweet also appeared on Blizzard Entertainment’s official Twitter: Over on…

I Can’t Stand Overwatch‘s Quick Play Anymore

I have a confession: I have become an Overwatch meta slave. I rarely pick heroes other players think are “bad.” I won’t take risks with our tank-healer balance. And, most important, I will seethe when my team doesn’t reflect the holy comp du jour Did you pick Hanzo on an attack map? I probably scoffed…