As part of the first Anniversary event of Overwatch, Blizzard rolled out three new Arena maps and the new 3v3 Lockout Elimination Arcade mode.
It seems that there is now potential for 3v3 Lockout matches to become a competitive mode, as stated by Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan.
'Overwatch' 3v3 Lockout Mode
The new 3v3 Lockout matches added to Overwatch works similarly to the traditional 3v3 Elimination matches previously available in the multiplayer shooter. Each best-of-five match pits teams of only three players each, compared to the usual six players per team, against each other in specially crafted maps.
The major difference, however, is that in the 3v3 Lockout matches, once a team wins a round, they can no longer select the heroes that they used in the round that they won for the rest of the match. This greatly increases the dynamics of the 3v3 mode as allies will need to discuss strategies and the compositions of their line-ups to be the first team to win three rounds.
Traditional 3v3 Elimination matches may get boring for players as they could decide to stick with the same three characters for all the rounds. In addition, some Overwatch heroes become very powerful when there are only three opponents on the other team, including Roadhog and Soldier: 76, especially when these self-healing heroes are paired with another healer. In comparison, 3v3 Lockout matches forces players to adapt to a shifting environment that is one of the characteristics that has made Overwatch so popular.
Competitive Mode For 3v3 Lockout?
In a thread that requested for the 3v3 Lockout mode to receive a competitive version, many players supported the idea as it is seen as a great way of balancing out the match type.
The first response to the thread, however, was from none other than Kaplan himself, who said that the development team will be considering a competitive version for 3v3 Lockout.
"I think it's still a little early to tell if the mode is stable and balanced enough to host a competitive version," Kaplan added, but he noted that he and the rest of the team are keeping a close eye on 3v3 Lockout and playing it themselves to gauge whether competitive 3v3 Lockout is possible.
If Blizzard eventually introduces a competitive 3v3 Lockout mode, it will only be the second type of competitive match beyond Overwatch's traditional 6v6 format. There is no word yet on a possible launch date for the new competitive mode, if it would ever come to fruition.
'Overwatch' Anniversary Event
The Overwatch Anniversary event, which also introduced three new arena mode maps that are patterned from popular 6v6 maps, is still ongoing. The free weekend for the game is also underway and will last until May 29, 11:59 p.m. PT.
The free weekend is a great way for Blizzard to invite new players to the massively popular multiplayer shooter. If you are one of these new players, here is a quick beginner's guide to help you get started.
