Tomas Hernandez is owner of Blizzplanet.com since 2003. I post news about World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, Diablo III, Hearthstone, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, Blizzard Careers, and the Warcraft film.
Blizzplanet is a leading fansite covering news about upcoming Blizzard Entertainment licensed products. I also post previews and reviews. I have interviewed book writers and Blizzard game developers.
I was previously an employee of the OGaming Network (2003), and IncGamers (2008-2010). I was a guest newsposter for GosuGamers (World of Warcraft) a few years ago and for Diablofans.com (formerly Diablo3.com)
***Fans who would love to watch our recorded Blizzard panels, BlizzCon panel transcripts, and appreciate our efforts can support Blizzplanet's patreon in a monthly-basis, or a one-time basis. Our staff are volunteer fans like you. Your donatives will help us travel to all the Blizzard events we attend year-round.
Narrator: Welcome to the Overwatch: What’s Next panel [Music]
Jeff: What’s up everyone? Long time no see. Ah, so I’m Jeff.
Aaron: –and I’m Aaron.
Jeff: So, okay. So Aaron… very humble. So how many WoW fans are here today?
Aaron: Oh my God.
Jeff: Okay. I’m not making this up, you can you can watch this on YouTube. Erin is the gentleman who made Stormwind, Orgrimmar, Thunder Bluff, Ironforge, Darnassus for World of Warcraft. For those of you who are Overwatch fans… what is the best map in Overwatch? Aaron made King’s Row. Okay.
Aaron: Thank you, yeah for all of that, and he’s not embarrassing at all.
Jeff: No not embarrassing at all; and he prefers to be called A-A-Run. Everyone’s been pronouncing it wrong all these years.
Aaron: (laughs) You can ask my mom. Yeah, okay.
Jeff: So, Overwatch 2. We’re talking about it in detail now.
Aaron: I’m so, so excited to talk to all of you about Overwatch 2. We said it in opening ceremonies. It’s so hard not to be able to talk about it with friends and family, and actually use the name Overwatch 2; but here we go.
I was watching the latest Netflix show Daybreak, Season 1: Episode 1 – Josh vs the Apocalypse when out of the blue a guy arguing about swords and guns asks the school director which he would pick. Matthew Broderick answers:
Matthew Broderick: “I don’t know, Wes. I usually play Sombra in Overwatch.”
Boy: “He plays as a girl?”
Matthew Broderick: “Sombra has thermoptic camo. I like that. You can’t hit what you can’t see.”
UPDATE (11/19): The high-definition cover has been added to Amazon today for the first time since the BlizzCon reveal.
UPDATE (11/16): The cover of Overwatch: The Hero of Numbani was revealed at the BlizzCon 2019 panel: The Writer’s Room: Building the Worlds of Blizzard.
In 2018, I attended the New York Comic Con to visit Scholastic’s Women of AFK panel. During the Q&A, I stepped up to ask Chloe Fraboni (Scholastic, senior editor) if there were any plans to publish books based on Blizzard IPs.
Her response was a bit cryptic: “We have some new stuff going on with Blizzard that I can’t say what property it is for. But I am really excited about it.”
In the NYCC 2018 article, I did note that while she did not specify what this upcoming book property it was for, during the panel she admitted she had visited the Blizzard Entertainment campus, and met her dream developer: Jeff Kaplan, and she mentioned she was an avid Overwatch player. From the get-go, this signaled to me later that the property they were working on was Overwatch. My speculation turned out to be true. You can pre-order The Hero of Numbani now (Kindle + Paperback).
Funko announced recently that New York Comic Con attendees might have a chance to buy an NYCC 2019 Exclusive Funko Pop Vinyl 6″ Biohazard Wrecking Ball. Quantities are limited and will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. You can find them at Booth #722, visible in the show floor map.
New York Comic Con opens its doors to the public on October 3rd at the Javits Center in Manhattan (655 West 34th Street).
During an Inverse interview, Wes Yanagi (Blizzard Principal Game Producer) and Andrew Boyd (Blizzard Lead Producer) showed interest in an Overwatch hero joining Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros.
Recently, it was revealed at the Nintendo Direct event that Super Smash Bro will have more DLC heroes, on top of the five promised. Of those five, four have been revealed. The fifth is yet to be announced.
It is not the first time Blizzard has teased something that later turns out to be true — like Jeff Kaplan loving the idea of Overwatch coming to the Nintendo Switch, and lo and behold, it became reality.
However, while both producers would love the idea, Yanagi stated such decision is up to Nintendo. Just the fact that Blizzard is interested and willing makes things more viable to happen; but I think the Blizzard Legal Department would have to weigh in how flexible they can be with copyright/trademark aspects of using an Overwatch hero in the Super Smash Bros game.
Other third-party companies have allowed the use of their characters: Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Earthbound, Pokemon, Fire Emblem, Starfox, Sonic, Kirby, Kid Icarius, Metal Gear Solid, Pac-Man, Pikmin, Animal Crossing, Mega Man, Punch-Out!, Duck Hunt, Street Fighter, Xenoblade Chronicles, Final Fantasy, Bayonetta, Splatoon, Castlevania, F-Zero, Ice Climber, R.O.B., Dragon Quest, Fatal Fury, and more.
Banjo-Kazooie joined recently, and Terry from Fatal Fury will join the Super Smash Bros DLC heroes this November, with a question mark as the next hero. If an Overwatch hero is coming to the Super Smash Bros (Nintendo Switch), we might possibly hear about it at BlizzCon.
The cool thing about an Overwatch hero joining Super Smash Bros, is that when a DLC hero join the game, a new brawl map (or as they call: Stage) is added too. In the case of Banjo-Kazooie, released on September 4, the stage/map titled Spiral Mountain was added. That hails from the Banjo-Kazooie game.
If an Overwatch DLC hero was added to Super Smash Bros, a map such as King’s Row or Numbani could be added in the DLC as well.
When asked which character from Overwatch they personally think would be a fit for the fighting game extravaganza Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Boyd and Yanagi both shared similar thoughts.
“It’s hard to pick your favorite hero,” Boyd says. “All of them have their own draw in Smash and it’s a really cool idea.”
Adds Yanagi, “They’re all my favorite, It would be an awesome thing to have but that’s up to Nintendo right now.” — source
Blizzard Entertainment added a new item to the Ecopoint: Antarctica that evokes a couple of questions. The item in question is a snow globe on a desk with a blue Overwatch logo. The center of the globe says “Grey.”
This immediately makes you wonder:
1. Is “Grey” meant to be the name, last name, or nickname of a new Hero?
2. We have seen one of Mei’s skins with the green Overwatch logo, which indicates that Overwatch has many divisions within its umbrella: one of them the ecology branch. On the other hand, we have seen a Winston skin with the blue Overwatch logo. The skin is a underwater suit. So the question is: Is there an oceanic division that explores the depths of the ocean? If so, is a new underwater map coming soon, and this item is teasing that? Or could “Grey” refer to the Oceanic division’s station name?
It is official. Blizzard Entertainment and Nintendo are launching the Overwatch Legendary Edition on the Nintendo Switch on October 15th. If you don’t have the handheld, you can buy the Nintendo Switch here.
UPDATE (Sept 5): Pre-orders for the Overwatch Legendary Edition (Nintendo Switch) are now open for $39.99. Want to receive this the day it comes out? Select FREE Two-Day Shipping at checkout.
IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sep. 4, 2019– The world could always use more heroes—and starting October 15, Nintendo Switch™ players will be able to join more than 40 million players from around the globe in the fight for the future with the arrival of Overwatch® Legendary Edition.
Overwatch Legendary Edition puts the definitive version of Blizzard Entertainment’s acclaimed team shooter in Nintendo Switch owners’ hands, complete with the latest content and gameplay updates. Players will select from a roster of 31 vibrant heroes as they face off in a variety of casual and competitive multiplayer modes andbattle over map objectives in 28 different locations around the earth (and on the moon).
In addition, Nintendo Switch gamers have the option to take control of their heroes in a whole-new wayusing the console’s built-in gyroscopic motion controls, which let players tilt their console to line up the perfect shot as McCree, pilot D.Va through the air, or quickly turn to deflect incoming projectiles as Genji.
“Overwatch brings players together to cooperate and compete in a bright and optimistic vision of the future, and we’re looking forward to welcoming Nintendo Switch gamers into the fun,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “The Legendary Edition includes more than three years’ worth of content updates and gameplay enhancements, and we’re excited to team up with Nintendo to provide players with new ways to enjoy the full Overwatch experience—including on the go.”
OverwatchLegendary Edition for Nintendo Switch will be available in a boxed version (containing a code to download the game) and digital version via the Nintendo eShop for a suggested price of $39.99. Both versions come with 15 bonus skins for a range of heroes to kick-start players’ collections, as well as a three-month Nintendo Switch Online individual membership so players can jump into action and start battling alongside, and against, their fellow Nintendo Switch gamers immediately.
Players who pre-purchase Overwatch Legendary Edition by the October 15 launch will also receive the Noire skin for elite Talon operative Widowmaker**, the game’s ruthlessly efficient assassin. In addition, Nintendo Switch players who log in to Overwatch by December 31, 2019 will receive a bonus Golden Loot Box containing at least one guaranteed Legendary item.
The latest Overwatch patch introduced two new features: Hotfixing and Shared Install. The shared install unifies the Live and PTR clients inside the same Overwatch folder rather than separate folders, and saves space. This patch was about 890MB file size.
New Feature: Hotfixing
With this patch, the Overwatch client on all platforms can now automatically receive minor updates (hotfixes) without needing to be restarted. Hotfixes require online connectivity, access to disk, and sufficient disk space. In the event a hotfix can’t be received, you may encounter a message you can resolve via one of the following platform-specific support articles:
A job opening for an Overwatch Senior Games Writer seems to hint at PvE content coming to Overwatch. It is slightly implied where it says: “Quickly write and iterate on compelling dialogue for characters, missions, and cinematics.”
I don’t know about you, but all Overwatch maps have objectives or tips at the loading screens… not missions.
It could be a matter of semantics. The Arcade mode provides the “Info” tab. Could that be referred to as a “mission”?
Janobli posted an insane Sigma Ultimate video in Reddit, where a Roadhog pulled him off the map with his hook. Sigma simply refused to die by activating his ultimate “Gravitic Flux” — which made him slowly levitate several yards in the air to safety, and marked the ground to pull all enemy heroes caught into the air. Sigma finished off the team, securing the point.
This is by far the crazies thing I have seen a player do with the new Sigma hero. Make sure to open the page in Google Chrome, if Firefox won’t load the video.
The Samsung C27RG5 240Hz Gaming Monitor is now available for purchase for a mere $399.99 which is absolutely bonkers. The Samsung Monitor C27RG5 is the first 240Hz refresh rate with 4ms (GTG) Response Time at 16:9 aspect ratio (1920×1080 Max), with a 1500R curved display (3,000:1 contrast ratio). It is NVIDIA G-SYNC compatible out of the box.
Blizzard Entertainment has introduced Hero 31 named Sigma as the new tank in Overwatch. Sigma brings to the battlefield a kit that might help tackle the bunker comp strategy.
“Brilliant astrophysicist Siebren De Kuiper gained the ability to control gravity when an experiment went terribly wrong. Now, Talon manipulates him to their own ends.
Sigma has become the most interesting and creepy hero in the Overwatch universe with that Origin Story. Sigma is a physics scientist experimenting with a lab-created blackhole. With this experiment he aims to harness the power of a blackhole to benefit humankind.
However, things go wrong with the experiment. The origin story video is difficult to understand and shows an insane Sigma. There is a way to understand this.
A few hours ago, Blizzard Entertainment released a short video by Jeff Kaplan where his intro is abruptly interrupted when some sort of whitehole rift sucked him. Then physics and calculus equations start to pop out with a creepy music tones.
This is a teaser for Hero 31, and that means details of the hero will come within the next few days ramping up with “possibly” more teasers until it hits the PTR — as it has happened in the past.
In this quick Developer Update, Game Director Jeff Kaplan goes into detail about the upcoming…
The Overwatch League website accidentally leaked early a video that shows a developer talking about role queue coming to the game:
“With role queue coming to Overwatch as shortly as the team announced earlier today, we thought it was really important to Overwatch League as quickly as we could.”
Considering this was in the Overwatch League website, this should be considered official. Role queue and Role lock in Overwatch League means the 2-2-2 roles will be forced in Competitive Play. Hopefully, this will end the endless issue with players going 4 damage, 1 healer, 1 tank. Sometimes it is so bad there are no tanks at all in some Competitive Play matches.
Hope you enjoyed this article. Please, support Blizzplanet on Patreon, and follow us in Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for daily Blizzard games news updates.
