It’s a great week for leaks and rumors coming true from That Park Place authors. This time it’s Manu Lopez covering Overwatch who comes away with a feather in the cap:
I am also hearing from various influencers that Blizzard is attempting to open greater communications with the fanbase, starting with the influencers on YouTube, Reddit mods, etc. There seems to be an effort to shake things up with the current, live game by launching more ambitious Experimental Modes that may help transition Overwatch towards the Overwatch 2 model (i.e. 5 v 5). While that may not save Overwatch, it could slow down the loss of players.
— Manu Lopez, That Park Place
Now, confirmation has come that Blizzard did indeed work with influencers to develop a new Experimental Mode that is all kinds of crazy. While not 5v5, the changes in this Experimental Mode are far more substantial than typical adjustments in the game’s standard patches. Some of these changes probably took a bit of additional work beyond tweaking numbers (we’re looking at you Roadhog). That seems to indicate that Blizzard is using this patch to try to generate more interest than just a simple balancing effort.
For a rundown of the changes that can be found in the new Overwatch Experimental Mode, take a look at a video rundown by Master Ian Gamer:
Will some of these changes become permanent?
If so, it could be just what the game needs to regain interest.
