Overwatch

Overwatch‘s Anti-Abuse System Is Getting An Overhaul

In competitive games, a handful of bad eggs can stink up the whole basket. Even Overwatch, a shooter designed with teamwork and a degree of positivity in mind, can’t dunk them directly into the trash fast enough. Blizzard’s solution? Better tools. During an interview last year, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan told me that toxicity…

First Pro Player To Pick Overwatch‘s Newest Hero Immediately Gets Stomped

Overwatch’s quadrupedal African robot Orisa is so new that she’s not even allowed in the game’s official competitive mode yet. Despite that, a team decided to pick her in a pro match yesterday evening, hours after she came out. It did not go well for them. The team? Renegades. They were up against Complexity as…

Overwatch‘s Newest Hero, Orisa, Is Now Live

After an especially lengthy stay on the PTR, Overwatch’s newest hero, “anchor tank” Orisa, is finally live. She’s accompanied by major changes to precious heal boy Lucio, a new tiebreaker system for competitive matches, and balance changes that span multiple heroes and maps. First announced a few weeks ago, Orisa is meant to occupy a…

Blizzard Cracks Down On Overwatch Ties, Polarizes Fans

Draws are the bane of competitive Overwatch players’ existence. All that work, and instead of the sweet taste of victory or the bitter agony of defeat, you get the sour milk breath of anticlimax. Late last week, Blizzard took the first steps to fix that. Some players, though, think they might have gone too far.…

Why Opening Loot Boxes Feels Like Christmas, According To Game Devs

Opening Overwatch loot boxes or Halo 5 REQ packs adds a special drama to a gaming session. The crate shakes. A jingle chimes. Lights peek out from the cracks. It swells with potential. Game developers make subtle design decisions that stoke the hope that keeps players opening mystery boxes, crates and packs. And not just…

Former Overwatch Teammates Reunite As “Laser Kittenz”

A new Overwatch team is set to make its debut on the international stage. Laser Kittenz is made up of the former Bench Boys roster and two other players, and the team will be looking to establish itself in the upcoming Overwatch League. In a report from ESPN Esports, the team says it is currently…

Here Is A Good Video Game Kid

Here is a note Allie’s daughter brought home from her after school care, after she used the gravest insult of all: calling another kid a “Hanzo Main”. The present might be toast, but the future is looking OK.

Little-Known Overwatch Team Is Tearing Up The Apex Tournament With Bizarre Strategies

Before the latest season of the big APEX Overwatch tournament series started, few knew the name Meta Athena. Now people are watching their matches with balled fists and clenched jaws, wondering what sort of diabolical trick they’ll come up with next. Meta Athena is a pro Overwatch team made up mostly of high-school aged Korean…

Blizzard Demands $8.5 Million In Legal Battle Against Cheat Maker

Blizzard’s been waging a legal war against cheat maker Bossland, maker of prominent cheat programs for games like Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and Heroes of the Storm, for years. Bossland’s latest tactic? They’ve just stopped responding entirely. Blizzard most recently went after Bossland last summer, when they filed suit over the group’s now-unavailable Overwatch program,…

Overwatch‘s Director Both Loves And Hates The Mash-Up Videos People Make Of Him

In recent times, a YouTuber named Dinoflask has dedicated their life to mashing-up videos of Overwatch’s Jeff Kaplan, turning them into everything from enraged rants to stories of Kaplan drunkenly pretending to be Junkrat’s ult at a party. It’s masterful work. Even Kaplan himself thinks so… begrudgingly. As part of a recent Reddit AMA, somebody…

Overwatch’s newest hero, the “anchor tank” Orisa, will see a wide release on March 21st. Early on, she seems like a powerful tank with a long range who functions best when mired to her team.

Overwatch Cosplay Rains From Above

This is Charmandawith one hell of a Pharah outfit. It’s the Overwatch character’s Raindancer skin, and it’s awesome. Here it is in motion. And some more shots:

Overwatch Glitch Lets Mercy Unleash Her Inner Phoenix 

In the latest version of Overwatch, using Mercy’s “hello” emote while floating through the sky can yield some wicked results The discovery was shared on Reddit by user Rosilia who was able to help the beloved healer nearly double her wing span and also make it glow bright green by quickly deploying the emote while…

For Honor Viking Gets Whupped By The Invisible Man

Today on Highlight Reel we have Viking mimes, close shaves, gods worth dying for, and much more! Watch the video then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Subscribe to Kotaku on YouTube for more! Mafia III –…

Blizzard Cracks Down On Overwatch Players Who Farm XP

Jeff Kaplan sees you, Overwatch XP farmers. He sees you, and he’s pissed. Well, maybe not pissed, but unusually angry by “glittering ray of sunlight transformed into an eternally patient man” standards. Recently, some players have taken to creating XP farming servers in Overwatch’s new custom game browser. Basically, you join one, pick a hero,…

Howdy, Lady McCree

This is Jelfishas Overwatch’s McCree, opting to restrict the crossplay changes to a very nice pair of boots. Photos by Falling Feathers

Overwatch Players Are Abusing Custom Games To Farm XP

Overwatch’s new custom game browser has given rise to everything from tense “predator” games of cat and mouse to sex role-play rooms. Good times all around, in other words. Other players, however, have taken to abusing the feature. If you take a look around Overwatch’s custom game lobby, you’ll almost assuredly come across at least…

Frustration Can Improve Video Games, Designer Found 

In video games, frustration is often viewed as a dirty word. If you’re feeling frustrated—like you’ve hit a wall and can’t find a way over, under, or around—the designers must have made a mistake. That’s not always the case, though. Sometimes, game makers try to make you feel irritated, or even livid. Last week, Duelyst…

Overwatch Hero Gets Hit With A Dose Of Reality

Today on Highlight Reel we have Overwatch expectations vs. reality, viking alley-oops, malfunctioning metal death birds and much more! Watch the video then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Subscribe to Kotaku on YouTube for more! Dark…

Overwatch Players Are Making Custom Sex Role-Play Rooms Now

Predictably, several 18+ sex role-play rooms have made their way into Overwatch’s new “custom games” lobby. “MERCY ABUSE RP 18+,” “ROADRAT GAY BATH-HOUSE RP,” “HIGHSCHOOL ROLEPLAY 18+ HOT,” and at least five “DADDY” rooms, typically in reference to the tank Reinhardt, have crept into the “custom games” lobby after the feature’s launch last week. In…