Is there no way to download overwatch for free
Photo: Patrick Dodson for Blizzard EntertainmentĮven games that have been out for far longer, like League of Legends and CS: Go, attract many times the viewership of Overwatch on an average day. But Blizzard has based the entire success of its e-sports league on Overwatch attracting new viewers, and then retaining those viewers as they turn into dedicated fans of one or more of the league’s teams. Of course, battle royale games are more accessible for the average viewer and more popular within the broader gaming community right now, so it’s natural those titles dominate the leaderboards.
In turn, the league has attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in sponsorship and broadcasting deals, commanding a reported $20 million team entry fee and much more in exclusive licensing rights sold to Disney and Twitch.Īnd yet, it doesn’t feel like Overwatch has retained its popularity in the gaming zeitgeist like other e-sports. Blizzard has poured immense resources into turning the title into a proper sport, equipped with an international city-based team system and slick, expensive production that runs out of stadiums in New York and Los Angeles. And Twitch viewership is not always a strong indication of a game’s popularity some games just aren’t that fun to watch, or have dedicated communities that exist outside the streaming and social media space.īut if any game should probably be fun to watch, and experiencing at least a little boost in popularity ahead of a big e-sports event, it’s Overwatch. Now, of course, it’s a valid question why anyone would be watching Overwatch on Twitch before the season starts. It’s less viewed even than RuneScape and Civilization VI. We’re one day away from the premiere of the Overwatch League’s second season, and the team shooter around which Blizzard has built a wildly ambitious e-sports infrastructure is sitting at 17th on Twitch, with just under 17,000 viewers. ‘Overwatch’ should look at the battle royale genre and borrow its free-to-play model But the game should absolutely go free-to-play - and here’s why. No, I’m not saying Overwatch should add a battle royale mode (although imagine how fun that might be). Beyond being a lesson for the broader game industry on how large, risk-averse companies can break into new genres, Apex is also a good example of how certain games can add fuel to an e-sports scene and really accelerate its growth, namely Blizzard’s Overwatch. A week after launch it even had its first e-sports tournament.
Through its free-to-play business model, combined with thoughtful game design and exhilarating combat, Apex has fast become a must-play online shooter with a huge online audience of both viewers and players. But right now there’s also a brand-new game occupying the number one spot: Respawn’s Apex Legends, the free-to-play battle royale game from the creators of Titanfall that’s taken the competitive gaming community by storm this past week.
There’s Fortnite, of course, and your slate of e-sports mainstays like League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike. If you were to head to over to Twitch’s most-watched list of games right now, you’d mostly see the usual titles enjoying top 10 spots.