We are committed to providing fast, efficient, and affordable software solutions that set new standards in the software development industry.
  • Is Overwatch the Next World of Warcraft?
Technology Articles > Entertainment > Games > Is Overwatch the Next World of Warcraft?

Blizzard Announces Overwatch, First New Project In 17 Years

Are you a World of Warcraft fanatic? If you have been looking for something new to play but can't fathom anything would be as great as World of Warcraft, you might want to check out Overwatch, the newly announced franchise from Activision's Blizzard, makers of Wolrd of Warcraft. It's the first new project for Blizzard in 17 years.

So is it like World of Warcraft? Blizzard claims this game is different – it's their first shooting game, and although there are a zillion shooting games on the market (it's the most popular genre currently), this one will be unique. Jeff Kaplan, the game's director, assured over 25,000 attendees of BlizzCon that they strive to offer something above and beyond anything a genre has ever done when they are designing a game, and Overwatch is no different.

Shoot 'Em Up

Shooting games are popular, but that means there is an overabundance of shooting games on them market. Every game developer offers some kind of shooting game, and most of them are quite similar. Developers of Halo, Bungie, released Destiny and claimed it offered players a World of Warcraft-esque experience – it features a large online world where players can interact with others while moving through the story line.

Now Blizzard, creator of the ultimate online game of all online games, is trying to bring even more. They are quite successful, with over 12 million subscribers to World of Warcraft in 2010, each paying up to $14.99 per month just to play the game. And SuperData Research stated they were getting over $217 million per month by December of 2010. The game inspired things beyond the online world, like books and a movie, as well as inspiring competitions.

Bringing Success To Overwatch

Will Blizzard be able to make Overwatch as successful? The developers have already released StarCraft and Heroes of the Storm, and each became popular because of the competitive environment against others online. This game should be no different.

Players will choose to play the role of one of 12 superheroes in the distant future, each of them tasked with guarding Earth after successfully ending a war. Each of the characters has a unique back story, and each offers different strengths and weaknesses to make their role in the game a bit different from each other.

Just as in other popular games, you play as part of a team as in Battlefield or strategy game League of Legends. This seems to be the trend in the online gaming world, so Blizzard is sticking with what works. However, they are looking to add their own flavor, as they do in their other games. They want to offer their fans a top-notch shooting experience, attract a broad audience, and bring the level of action shooters expect with an engaging story line. World of Warcraft fans are certainly anticipating its release - with good reason.

Are you a World of Warcraft player? Will you give Blizzard's Overwatch a try?

Update: Overwatch is now live!