Blizzard finally caves, offers deathmatch modes in 'Overwatch'

By Gabe Gurwin Published August 14, 2017

Developer Update | Deathmatch | Overwatch

Up until now, Blizzard’s Overwatch has been an objective-based shooter. On some maps, teams simply try to control certain areas, while on others, they’re tasked with pushing or stopping a payload from advancing. However, for those more interested in just blasting their friends with Hanzo or Soldier: 76, you now have your chance. Two deathmatch modes have been made available in the game’s Public Test Region on PC.

Available within the Arcade in Overwatch, the basic deathmatch mode sees eight players dueling to the death in a free-for-all format, attempting to be the first to reach 20 points. Unlike the other Overwatch modes, you’ll only be awarded an elimination if you actually deal the final blow to an enemy. Dying from environmental hazards like open pits or cliffs will remove one point from your score. Nine total maps will be available for this mode: Hanamura, Horizon Lunar Colony, Temple of Anubis, Volskaya Industries, Dorado, Eichenwalde, Hollywood, King’s Row, and the new Château Guillard. The home of Widowmaker, this French estate resembles buildings seen in the Dishonored series, and it should provide some close-range combat opportunities, which is ironic, given that the Widowmaker is a sniper.

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A four-on-four team deathmatch is also available, and sees each team trying to reach 30 points. The rules are roughly the same as the standard deathmatch, but with one twist that seems to be inspired by the Battlefield series. If you manage to get revived by your teammates, the enemy team will lose one point. In addition to the maps included in the deathmatch mode, team deathmatch will also have access to Black Forest, Castillo, Ecopoint: Antarctica, and Necropolis.

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Both free-for-all and team deathmatch will also support custom games. In a developer update video, game director Jeff Kaplan explained that during testing, Blizzard loved to limit all players to one character, such as McCree or Hanzo. This could fundamentally change how people play the game, as they can no longer rely on “counter-picks” in order to maximize a character’s effectiveness.

What do you think about deathmatch in Overwatch? Are you ready to kick some ass as Winston, or will you try to win it all with Junkrat? Let us know in the comments!

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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