Blizzard is looking to shake things up in Overwatch's new Experimental mode.
A new mode is being implemented into Overwatch, which will allow the Blizzard to test things out and make tweaks to the game. Experimental mode will be an Arcade card that will change over time. The first test is called "Triple Damage," and will likely roll out on February 25th. This test will change the current team composition of two tanks, two damage characters, and two support characters. The Triple Damage test will change that composition to one tank, three damage, and two support characters.
Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan has stressed that this change will not be permanent just yet. It depends how things go in the Experimental mode. Kaplan explained that one of the reasons that this change is being tested is to help out wait time in queue for damage players, who have to often wait quite some time before finding a match. "Off-tank" characters such as Road Hog and D.Va will receive balance changes in the Experimental mode. These characters will play differently to see how the game changes. It was also revealed that players will still level up and receive loot boxes while playing in the Experimental mode.
It has been announced that three more weeks of matches in the Overwatch League have been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. On Twitter, it was announced that matches in South Korea that were scheduled between February 29th to March 2nd have been cancelled "in order to protect the health and safety of our player, fans, and staff." The tweet stated that information on when and where matches will take place will be shared on a later date. This is not the first time that Overwatch League matches have been cancelled. Earlier this month, it was announced matches that were supposed to take place in China during February and March were no longer going to take place.
The coronavirus has been affecting the game industry in the past month. Multiple esports events have been cancelled due to the infection. Many developers have stated that they will not attend upcoming conventions such as PAX East and the Games Developers Conference due to the virus. This included Sony pulling out from both events, as well as Square Enix cancelling many of their events at PAX East.
