Overwatch World Cup viewing experience will be improved thanks to new features

The Overwatch team has been working on new features which it says will “improve the esports viewing experience.”

In a developer update video, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan discusses new features viewers will see during the Overwatch World Cup broadcast at BlizzCon.

Updates discussed in the video include:

• Team uniforms/team color palettes
• Top down interactive map
• Third person smart camera
• Kill feed replays
• Automated tournament interface
• Auto-pauses during disconnects

The video is nine minutes long, so if you wish to skip to a certain section which is of more interest to you, here’s the time stamps courtesy of Blizzard:

• 0:10 – We love Overwatch esports, and here’s why
• 0:41 – But it’s kind of hard to watch, so we’re working on improvements
• 2:00 – Introducing team uniforms and team color palettes
• 3:35 – We’re adding a new tool for broadcasters, the top down interactive map
• 4:49 – As well as the third-person smart camera
• 5:28 – Broadcasters can now create instant replays during live broadcasting
• 6:25 – What does the new automated tournament interface do?
• 6:48 – Tournament games will now automatically pause when players disconnect
• 7:30 – This is just the beginning; we’re committed to making esports fun to watch
• 8:48 – Join us for the Overwatch World Cup at BlizzCon

Blizzard is working on more esports features, and said the Overwatch World Cup will be a “major milestone” to continuously improving the esports watching experience for the long term.

Additional information about the aforementioned features, along with supporting visuals, will be shared next week.

The Overwatch World Cup Quarterfinals and Semifinals will take place Friday, November 3.

You can look over the top eight bracket through here.

All times below are Pacific. Times in your region can be found through Word Clock.

Overwatch World Cup Quarter and Semifinals, November 3

• Quarterfinal 1 – 12:15pm – 1:45pm
• Quarterfinal 2 – 1:45pm – 3:15pm
• Quarterfinal 3 – 3:15pm – 4:45pm
• Quarterfinal 4 – 4:45pm – 6:15pm
• Semifinal 1 – 6:15pm – 7:45pm
• Semifinal 2 – 7:45pm – 9:15pm

Overwatch World Cup Finals, November 4

• Overwatch Bronze Medal Match – 10am -11am
• Overwatch World Cup Finals – 12pm – 2:45pm

Along with Overwatch, other esports broadcasts during BlizzCon 2017 will take place: StarCraft 2, Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone, and World of Warcraft.

BlizzCon 2017 runs November 3-4, although there are various esports qualifiers for the aforementioned games running between now and October 30 as well.

Overwatch World Cup viewing experience will be improved thanks to new features posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW