Overwatch Game Director Jeff Kaplan was front and center in yet another Developer Update that announced a new game mode was making its way to Blizzard Entertainment's futuristic first person shooter: deathmatch.
The video opens with Mr. Kaplan stating that at the time of the game's introduction they weren't considering deathmatch so as not to dilute the core team-based gameplay of the game. However, over the course of Overwatch's development, the Arcade has expanded to allow the Overwatch developers to tinker with different modes of gameplay (including first person shooter staples like capture the flag and elimination).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_CBzklel1c
Two deathmatch modes are being introduced: a free-for-all mode with eight players and a team deathmatch mode with two teams of six. Deathmatch is played to 20 kills and team deathmatch is played to 30 kills. Interestingly, certain gameplay mechanics will affect the score in team deathmatch - a highlighted example was that Mercy's Resurrect will actually take away score from the enemy team if friendly heroes are revived. Players concerned about the efficiency of earning Arcade wins need not fret: the top four players in each eight-player standard deathmatch game will be credited with a win for the Arcade loot box counter.
Existing maps have been retrofit to accommodate each of the two upcoming game modes; Mr. Kaplan stated that the maps would have different set-ups depending on the game mode as the flow of the gameplay ended up working differently depending on whether it was a free-for-all or team-based gameplay.
Aside from existing maps being mixed up a bit, a new map is being introduced that was built for deathmatch from the ground up: Chateau Guillard. Chateau Guillard is the family home of Amélie Lacroix (maiden name Guillard), more commonly known by her Talon alias Widowmaker. The map has been stated to include a number of interesting lore bits (as Overwatch maps tend to do) that will give you a peek into the past of Talon's coldest assassin.
No timetable has been stated for when the new map or the deathmatch game modes will be available in the game. There is also the concern of how the Arcade cards will look after this new game mode is deployed and how much of a feature it will be going forward. In any case, it looks like deathmatch is finally on its way to Overwatch. In the meantime, gamers will most likely be focusing their attention on the 2017 Summer Games event.
Update: The new gameplay modes, new map, and some hero changes are now available for testing on the Overwatch PTR.
What do you think of Overwatch finally implementing deathmatch in the game? Are you looking forward to it? Which characters do you think will excel in this new upcoming gameplay mode? Let us know in the comments below!