Overwatch 2 Stadium is a pretty impressive break from the norm, with it shrinking down maps and objectives, adding a best-of-seven round format, and, of course, having a third-person option. Though this last feature may seem slightly jarring at first, given that Overwatch has been a staple FPS for so long, it’s not an entirely new idea.
“[We] toyed with it in Overwatch 1 at certain points, just internally, little prototypes and stuff,” senior game designer Dylan Snyder says in an interview with The Gamer. “When we animate, there’s a first-person version and a third-person version, and [it] has always been that way since day one. So it was always an option.”
While most players wouldn’t use third-person mode in regular old Overwatch, it has always had its uses. Reinhardt’s view shifts from first to third person when he uses his shield to give players a better idea of what they’re protecting, and the same goes with Brigitte. And if you want to watch a game back, you also have the option to watch in third-person or via a flying camera.
“As long as there’s been game mode ideation on Overwatch, there’s been a whiteboard somewhere at Blizzard where there’s a list of things that are like, ‘this is what we’re going to do, ‘” Ryan Smith, lead level designer, says. “I bet third person has been on a lot of those whiteboards.”
I don’t doubt that a third-person mode crossed the minds of those working on Overwatch a few times. But the timing of the Stadium and the fact that Blizzard revealed it months after an incredibly successful Marvel Rivals launch seems more tactical than coincidental.
I’ve been playing Stadium every chance I’ve got since the playtest began at the start of the week, and while I absolutely love all the wacky builds you can make and the new round format, I’m not entirely sold on its third-person POV.
While it can be quite helpful for peeking around corners as Widowmaker or Soldier 76, or extending your field of view as Mercy, I’ve found that it’s more of a hindrance than a blessing. Playing any tank character in third person is quite tricky, and especially hard as D.Va, who takes up a lot of space on the screen and zips around regularly.
I’m sure playing in third person will get a bit easier as time goes on and I become more accustomed to it. But for now, at least, I’d much rather just flip back to first person and enjoy this new mode while getting to grips with other new features like items and powers and just worry about working in third person mode another time.
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