{"id":93433,"date":"2016-06-07T09:57:33","date_gmt":"2016-06-07T07:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/?p=93433"},"modified":"2016-06-07T09:59:19","modified_gmt":"2016-06-07T07:59:19","slug":"overwatch-could-be-the-biggest-competitive-game-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/pc\/93433-overwatch-could-be-the-biggest-competitive-game-in-south-africa","title":{"rendered":"Overwatch could be the biggest competitive game in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overwatch, Blizzard’s new hero shooter, was released on 24 May 2016<\/strong> and has been\u00a0warmly received by critics across the internet, racking up a collection of stellar\u00a0reviews.<\/p>\n

The game’s launch has been absolutely massive, with the title gaining a large player base<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in a relatively short amount of time.<\/p>\n

Gamers and reviewers have praised\u00a0Overwatch’s potential as a competitive game, and the title may just end up being the next big game in the eSports scene.<\/p>\n

Competitive Play<\/h3>\n

Overwatch included a ranked competitive game mode during its Closed Beta test, but removed the feature before the official launch of the game.<\/p>\n

In response to player feedback, Blizzard plans to implement a completely re-worked version of the ranked mode\u00a0featured during the Closed Beta, which will appear “sometime in June”<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The addition of a functional, balanced ranked game mode could have a large effect on Overwatch’s rising popularity.<\/p>\n

Tournaments and Twitch<\/h3>\n

The popularity of competitive eSports\u00a0is usually measured by the size of tournaments and prize pools, with events such as Dota 2’s International or CS: GO’s ESL One boasting massive amounts of prize money and extensive coverage.<\/p>\n

These games are among the favourite competitive games of eSports fans, and compete fiercely for the most viewers on Twitch.<\/p>\n

However, Overwatch has maintained a massive\u00a0viewer count on Twitch after its release, with the majority of viewers spectating competitive tournaments.<\/p>\n

Despite not having a Ranked mode yet, and the fact that most Overwatch players lack the\u00a0amount of experience enjoyed by other professional players, there have already been various tournaments for the game – with some offering prize pools of up to $10,000<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Overwatch could make for a fresh and exciting new competitive eSport if the initial interest in its competitive scene remains strong.<\/p>\n

Overwatch for South Africans<\/h3>\n

Overwatch has an extremely well-optimised netcode – according to this developer update<\/strong>:<\/p>\n