Blizzard has announced that the new Overwatch World Cup Viewer is now available for pre-download.
The Viewer will give Overwatch fans control over their personal viewing experience for the first time at this year’s World Cup playoffs.
Similar to CS:GO’s GOTV feature, the World Cup Viewer will allow fans to personally observe the games live, switching between different player perspectives or third-person views whenever they choose.
The feature means that fans who want to spectate a particular favorite player will be able to do so as much as they wish, and players looking to improve by learning from the pros will be able to see exactly what a certain hero is doing at any point in the game.
In addition to the live spectating features, Blizzard will also make replays of all of the games available for a month after they originally air, allowing viewers to go back and re-watch whether they missed a match or simply want to see how things played out from a different perspective.
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The tool will also be incredibly powerful for those looking to analyse the games, either for the purpose of creating content or self-improvement. With twelve players on the map and action often very fast-paced, it’s often impossible to really track every aspect of a game, and the official broadcast can’t possibly capture every detail live.
If the World Cup Viewer is successful, Blizzard has stated that they would like to broaden its features to other aspects of the game, not only for the likes of the Overwatch League but also potentially adding a replay feature for players’ games across the board.
Naturally, those that simply want to enjoy the spectacle will still be able to do so through the standard broadcast, with Blizzard’s professional observers showing off the action as effectively as possible.
The Overwatch World Cup playoffs will take place on November 2-3. The new Viewer is currently available for pre-download, and instructions for set-up and controls as well as advice on observing can be found here.