<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
and	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
are	O
team-based	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
games	O
developed	O
by	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
May	O
2016	O
for	O
several	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
gameplay	O
modes	O
that	O
support	O
casual	O
play	O
,	O
ranked	O
play	O
,	O
and	O
competitive	O
modes	O
used	O
for	O
professional	O
esports	O
events	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Overwatch	B-Application
League	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
2022	O
with	O
the	O
same	O
player	O
versus	O
player	O
(	O
PvP	O
)	O
modes	O
,	O
and	O
will	O
later	O
include	O
new	O
player	O
versus	O
environment	O
(	O
PvE	O
)	O
co-operative	O
multiplayer	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unless	O
otherwise	O
noted	O
,	O
all	O
gameplay	O
features	O
apply	O
to	O
both	O
Overwatch	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
features	O
squad-based	O
combat	O
with	O
two	O
opposing	O
teams	O
of	O
six	O
players	O
each	O
,	O
while	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
uses	O
five-on-five	O
teams	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
major	O
update	O
across	O
both	O
regular	O
players	O
of	O
Overwatch	B-Application
and	O
Overwatch	B-Application
esports	O
leagues	O
to	O
launch	O
in	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
introduced	O
a	O
"	O
Role	O
Queue	O
"	O
for	O
quick	O
play	O
and	O
competitive	O
modes	O
,	O
requiring	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
select	O
one	O
of	O
damage	O
,	O
support	O
,	O
or	O
tank	O
roles	O
for	O
the	O
duration	O
of	O
a	O
game	O
,	O
though	O
freely	O
able	O
to	O
switch	O
between	O
heroes	O
in	O
that	O
role	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
in	O
matchmaking	O
,	O
teams	O
will	O
be	O
made	O
up	O
of	O
two	O
of	O
each	O
roles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
February	O
through	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
ran	O
its	O
competitive	O
seasons	O
using	O
a	O
"	O
hero	O
pool	O
"	O
mechanic	O
,	O
where	O
only	O
a	O
selection	O
of	O
heroes	O
will	O
be	O
available	O
to	O
play	O
each	O
week	O
similar	O
to	O
League	B-Application
of	I-Application
Legends	I-Application
,	O
to	O
evaluate	O
using	O
it	O
in	O
the	O
long	O
term	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
after	O
this	O
point	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
found	O
that	O
the	O
hero	O
pool	O
approach	O
was	O
not	O
necessary	O
to	O
maintain	O
balance	O
for	O
characters	O
,	O
instead	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
use	O
other	O
modes	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
an	O
experimental	O
card	O
mode	O
,	O
to	O
test	O
balance	O
adjustments	O
that	O
were	O
later	O
brought	O
to	O
the	O
main	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
dropped	O
the	O
hero	O
pool	O
approach	O
save	O
for	O
the	O
Overwatch	B-Application
League	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Opposing	O
players	O
will	O
be	O
alerted	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
this	O
ultimate	O
ability	O
by	O
an	O
exclamation	O
from	O
the	O
character	O
,	O
often	O
in	O
the	O
character	O
's	O
native	O
language	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
when	O
using	O
his	O
"	O
Deadeye	O
"	O
ability	O
gunslinger	B-Application
Cassidy	O
will	O
call	O
out	O
"	O
It	O
's	O
high	O
noon	O
"	O
as	O
the	O
player	O
engages	O
the	O
ultimate	O
ability	O
to	O
target	O
multiple	O
visible	O
enemies	O
and	O
deal	O
lethal	O
damage	O
to	O
those	O
still	O
in	O
sight	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
employs	O
an	O
automated	O
instant	O
replay	O
system	O
,	O
designed	O
to	O
highlight	O
important	O
moments	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Characters	O
in	O
Overwatch	B-Application
come	O
in	O
three	O
varieties	O
:	O
Damage	O
,	O
Tank	O
,	O
and	O
Support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
Overwatch	B-Application
map	O
has	O
a	O
specific	O
game	O
mode	O
that	O
it	O
supports	O
,	O
which	O
include	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Assault-style	O
maps	O
will	O
be	O
removed	O
from	O
main	O
gameplay	O
rotation	O
when	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
released	O
while	O
still	O
available	O
in	O
custom	O
game	O
modes	O
,	O
though	O
Blizzard	O
developers	O
plan	O
to	O
reintroduce	O
the	O
maps	O
in	O
other	O
modes	O
at	O
a	O
later	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Push	O
:	O
(	O
introduced	O
in	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
)	O
Each	O
team	O
attempts	O
to	O
secure	O
control	O
of	O
a	O
large	O
robot	O
that	O
pushes	O
one	O
of	O
two	O
payload	O
to	O
the	O
opposing	O
team	O
's	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
map	O
while	O
under	O
the	O
team	O
's	O
control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Capture	B-Application
the	I-Application
Flag	I-Application
:	O
Introduced	O
in	O
February	O
2017	O
,	O
Capture	B-Application
the	I-Application
Flag	I-Application
is	O
played	O
on	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
symmetrical	O
Control	O
maps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
will	O
introduce	O
cooperative	O
player-versus-environmental	O
missions	O
where	O
four	O
players	O
work	O
against	O
computer-controlled	O
opponents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Story	O
:	O
where	O
players	O
in	O
teams	O
of	O
four	O
recreate	O
key	O
missions	O
by	O
the	O
Overwatch	B-Application
forces	O
during	O
the	O
Omnic	O
wars	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hero	O
:	O
where	O
players	O
will	O
take	O
on	O
missions	O
to	O
protect	O
cities	O
from	O
Omnic	O
,	O
Talon	B-Application
and	O
other	O
nefarious	O
forces	O
but	O
otherwise	O
unrelated	O
to	O
the	O
overall	O
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
was	O
released	O
with	O
12	O
maps	O
,	O
but	O
new	O
maps	O
have	O
been	O
added	O
over	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
maps	O
are	O
typically	O
designed	O
to	O
support	O
portions	O
of	O
the	O
Overwatch	B-Application
narrative	O
,	O
which	O
follows	O
from	O
thirty	O
years	O
after	O
a	O
robotic	O
uprising	O
,	O
the	O
Omnic	O
Crisis	O
,	O
occurred	O
in	O
Earth	O
's	O
near	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
crisis	O
was	O
resolved	O
by	O
the	O
Overwatch	B-Application
agency	O
,	O
which	O
afterward	O
was	O
disbanded	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
present	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
threat	O
of	O
another	O
Omnic	O
Crisis	O
and	O
appearance	O
of	O
several	O
shadowy	O
groups	O
,	O
the	O
members	O
of	O
Overwatch	B-Application
have	O
rejoined	O
forces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
seasonal	O
events	O
,	O
certain	O
maps	O
may	O
be	O
redecorated	O
for	O
the	O
event	O
's	O
theme	O
,	O
but	O
otherwise	O
retain	O
the	O
fundamental	O
layouts	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Halloween	B-Application
updates	O
for	O
the	O
Hollywood	O
and	O
Eichenwald	O
maps	O
during	O
the	O
"	O
Halloween	B-Application
Terror	O
"	O
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
in	O
November	O
2019	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
implemented	O
a	O
map	O
pool	O
that	O
limits	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
available	O
maps	O
in	O
each	O
mode	O
for	O
competitive	O
play	O
(	O
and	O
which	O
also	O
applied	O
to	O
the	O
professional	O
competitions	O
like	O
Overwatch	B-Application
League	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
shipped	O
with	O
three	O
Assault	O
maps	O
,	O
with	O
two	O
additional	O
Assault	O
map	O
added	O
since	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
map	O
itself	O
was	O
originally	O
developed	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
cancelled	O
Titan	B-Protocol
project	O
,	O
and	O
re-purposed	O
for	O
Overwatch	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
shipped	O
with	O
three	O
Escort	O
maps	O
and	O
since	O
added	O
three	O
additional	O
ones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Watchpoint	O
:	O
Gibraltar	O
:	O
Set	O
on	O
the	O
Rock	O
of	O
Gibraltar	O
,	O
the	O
map	O
has	O
the	O
attacking	O
team	O
escort	O
a	O
satellite	O
drone	O
vehicle	O
from	O
a	O
decommissioned	O
Overwatch	B-Application
base	O
to	O
a	O
rocket	O
as	O
to	O
launch	O
it	O
into	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rialto	O
:	O
Set	O
in	O
the	O
canal-laden	O
Rialto	O
area	O
of	O
Venice	B-Application
,	O
the	O
map	O
was	O
first	O
introduced	O
as	O
a	O
player-versus-environment	O
map	O
in	O
the	O
seasonal	O
event	O
,	O
Overwatch	B-Application
Retribution	O
,	O
during	O
April	O
2018	O
,	O
and	O
re-added	O
as	O
an	O
Escort	O
map	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
normal	O
rotation	O
in	O
May	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
shipped	O
with	O
three	O
Hybrid	O
maps	O
and	O
has	O
added	O
two	O
since	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
map	O
was	O
also	O
re-purposed	O
for	O
the	O
"	O
Overwatch	B-Application
Archives	O
:	O
Uprising	O
"	O
seasonal	O
event	O
into	O
a	O
player	O
versus	O
environment	O
map	O
that	O
has	O
players	O
attempt	O
to	O
stop	O
the	O
Omnics	O
during	O
the	O
first	O
uprising	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
map	O
was	O
featured	O
in	O
the	O
initial	O
promotional	O
media	O
for	O
Overwatch	B-Application
,	O
and	O
was	O
central	O
to	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
both	O
the	O
Orisa	O
and	O
Doomfist	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eichenwalde	O
:	O
Taking	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
ruins	O
of	O
a	O
German	O
castle	O
,	O
Eichenwalde	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
new	O
map	O
added	O
to	O
Overwatch	B-Application
following	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
in	O
August	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
World	O
:	O
The	O
map	O
,	O
introduced	O
in	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
is	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
fictional	O
theme	O
park	O
that	O
is	O
a	O
tribute	O
to	O
other	O
Blizzard	O
properties	O
,	O
including	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
,	O
Hearthstone	B-Application
,	O
and	O
StarCraft	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
control	O
maps	O
were	O
shipped	O
with	O
Overwatch	B-Application
and	O
two	O
have	O
been	O
added	O
since	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
's	O
Jeff	O
Kaplan	O
noted	O
that	O
while	O
Iraq	O
settings	O
have	O
been	O
frequently	O
featured	O
in	O
video	O
games	O
before	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
usually	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
war-torn	O
setting	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
Overwatch	B-Application
,	O
they	O
wanted	O
to	O
show	O
something	O
different	O
and	O
made	O
the	O
map	O
to	O
give	O
the	O
sense	O
of	O
a	O
technically	O
advanced	O
,	O
pristine	O
city	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
map	O
was	O
first	O
announced	O
in	O
August	O
2018	O
alongside	O
the	O
first	O
Korean	O
Overwatch	B-Application
fan	O
festival	O
,	O
and	O
playable	O
on	O
the	O
PTR	O
that	O
same	O
day	O
,	O
and	O
ultimately	O
added	O
to	O
all	O
servers	O
by	O
mid-September	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Push	O
mode	O
maps	O
were	O
introduced	O
with	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arena	O
maps	O
were	O
added	O
to	O
Overwatch	B-Application
to	O
support	O
various	O
causal	O
game	O
modes	O
,	O
in	O
particular	O
matches	O
featuring	O
three-versus-three	O
players	O
but	O
can	O
be	O
re-purposed	O
for	O
other	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
Talon	B-Application
's	O
headquarters	O
in	O
Italy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
features	O
several	O
means	O
of	O
gameplay	O
,	O
including	O
tutorials	O
and	O
practice	O
modes	O
against	O
computer-controlled	O
opponents	O
,	O
casual	O
matchmaking	O
,	O
weekly	O
brawls	O
,	O
custom	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
competitive	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
allows	O
players	O
to	O
group	O
up	O
prior	O
to	O
starting	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
team	O
modes	O
with	O
friends	O
,	O
or	O
can	O
join	O
a	O
group	O
after	O
finishing	O
a	O
match	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
a	O
June	O
2018	O
patch	O
,	O
Overwatch	B-Application
also	O
allows	O
players	O
create	O
open	O
groups	O
based	O
on	O
certain	O
requirements	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
fixed	O
character	O
roles	O
or	O
desired	O
gameplay	O
type	O
,	O
with	O
other	O
players	O
able	O
to	O
find	O
such	O
groups	O
via	O
the	O
same	O
criteria	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
was	O
launched	O
with	O
a	O
rotating	O
Weekly	O
Brawl	O
mode	O
,	O
inspired	O
by	O
Hearthstones	B-Application
Tavern	O
Brawls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
seasonal	O
events	O
,	O
these	O
Arcade	O
modes	O
may	O
feature	O
unique	O
game	O
modes	O
for	O
that	O
event	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
three-on-three	O
soccer-type	O
game	O
during	O
the	O
2016	O
Summer	O
Olympics	O
,	O
a	O
co-operative	O
player-versus-environment	O
defense	O
mode	O
during	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
first	O
Halloween	B-Application
event	O
Junkenstein	O
's	O
Revenge	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
Capture	B-Application
the	I-Application
Flag	I-Application
mode	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
2017	O
Chinese	O
New	O
Year	O
event	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
has	O
since	O
allowed	O
experience	O
to	O
be	O
earned	O
in	O
custom	O
games	O
with	O
safeguards	O
to	O
prevent	O
players	B-Application
idling	I-Application
for	I-Application
experience	I-Application
points	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Competitive	O
matches	O
uses	O
the	O
same	O
rules	O
as	O
the	O
professional	O
Overwatch	B-Application
League	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
has	O
run	O
short-term	O
competitive	O
seasons	O
for	O
other	O
game	O
modes	O
typically	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
seasonal	O
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
has	O
included	O
Lucioball	O
,	O
Capture	B-Application
the	I-Application
Flag	I-Application
,	O
Deathmatch	O
,	O
Team	O
Deathmatch	O
,	O
and	O
Elimination	O
.	O
</s>
