Overwatch 2 will possibly get one of the most innovating features from Respawn Entertainment’s battle royale Apex Legends. Upon release, Apex Legends got lots of positive feedback, partially because of the dynamic ping system. Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan revealed during BlizzCon that Blizzard is looking into adapting a similar system for the sequel.
While streaming Overwatch 2 live from BlizzCon, YouTuber Samito got a special surprise. Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan sat down next to Samito to watch and discuss some details of Overwatch 2. After complimenting Kaplan on his new game, the YouTuber asked about an ability to mark targets. Kaplan then proceeded to confirm that the team at Blizzard is looking into a ping system.
“Yes. Actually we have a fantastic lead U.I. designer. His name is Junho Kim, and he was talking to me last week [saying] that he wants to do experiments again with a ping system.”
Kaplan proceeded to mention Apex Legends and the fact that everyone seemed to love the ping system in that game. And it would be fair to mention that the pinging system does in fact make strategic gameplay more precise and direct.
Apparently the original Overwatch (2016) was supposed to have a similar ping system but Kaplan admits that the team was unhappy with their implementation of it. But U.I. designer Junho Kim is now revisiting the idea of implementing a ping system for Overwatch 2. And it isn’t hard to see why that would be a great addition to the game.
As described in our BlizzCon 2019 roundup, Overwatch 2 will be a PvE focused game that requires a team of players to cooperate and fight off waves of enemies. As Samito mentions, whenever a big, beefy enemy enters the fray, you want to be able to mark him. Not only can you warn your teammates with a feature like that, you can also direct your friends and focus fire on said enemy.
You can check out the entire conversation with Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan below:
It is still too early to say how similar the ping system will be to Apex Legends’ feature. We don’t know for sure if Kaplan and his team will go through with the implementation of it at all. We will have to wait and see. Overwatch 2 hasn’t been given an official release date yet. So exactly how long of a wait that will be is still undetermined.
When more information surfaces, Game Enthusiast will be sure to update our readers on the latest Overwatch 2 details as well as the rest of your favorite gaming franchises. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates.