At this point, we’re all well aware that Blizzard is going all in on esports. The makers of Overwatch have been doing everything they possibly can to push their upcoming Overwatch League. It will pit professional players from around the world against each other, much like regular professional sports. All of this is well and good, but it will only reach mainstream popularity if non-gamers watch it too.
This is where a bunch of changes are going to come in handy. Blizzard recently released a video called “Behind the Scenes: ‘Evolving Overwatch Esports’,” which showcases some major changes the company has made to help new viewers. Those of us who have been watching on Twitch for a while and who play the games in question can follow things fairly easily. But to the untrained eye, esports look like pure chaos. One of the simplest, yet probably most important changes Blizzard has made in Overwatch is team uniforms. Every team will have different uniforms for their characters depending on what country they are playing for. There will even be different uniforms for home and away games.
Other inclusions are an instant replay function which shows off epic moves more clearly. There will be an overhead map to show exactly where players are on the map in relation to each other. The overhead map and third person smart camera both show all the players statistics on the screen at the same time. This will be good for people who analyze the matches afterward.
It would seem like all of these additions Blizzard is making to Overwatch should help bring Esports to non-gamers. The changes should help Overwatch matches play out more like traditional sports rather than an non-sensical flurry of activity.
Source: Blizzard