'Overwatch' is bringing back Summer Games for 2017 with a bunch of new twists
It's time for some more Lúcioball, Overwatch fans.
Blizzard's now-annual Summer Games event returns on Tuesday, Aug. 8 with a host of updates following its 2016 debut. The three-week event -- which ends on Aug. 29 -- introduces a new map for its signature mode and a batch of new cosmetic items for your heroes.
Lúcioball is an Overwatch take on soccer, by way of Rocket League. Teams of three Lúcios apiece skate around a specially designed arena, using weapons fire and Lúcio's "boop" to knock an oversized ball into the other team's goal.
The 2017 edition of Lúcioball adds a new map -- set in Sydney -- to join 2016's Rio map (the Summer Games event was originally pegged to the 2016 Olympics). All matches will cycle back and forth between the two maps.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Blizzard also tweaked a few of the Lúcioball rules. You'll no longer be able to "boop" other players -- only the ball. Further, instead of pulling the ball in close to you, Lúcio's ultimate ability now increases both your movement speed and "boop" speed.
Lastly, for those that take competition extra-seriously: you'll now have the option of taking on other players in a ranked playlist.
That's just Lúcioball, however. The biggest dangling carrots in Overwatch are cosmetic items like character skins, sprays, and emotes, and limited-time events all come with their own selection.
The new swag doesn't replace last year's offering, however. All the same stuff is there, it's just joined by new gear. Even better: if you're still hoping to pick up the 2016 swag, it's all cheaper than the new stuff.
Here's how the pricing breaks down, per Blizzard:
New 2017 Summer Games Cosmetic Items will cost the following:
Legendary Skins will cost 3,000 credits
Epic Skins will cost 750 credits
Rare tier will cost 225 credits
Common tier will cost 75 credits
Previous Summer Games cosmetics will be available at a reduced cost:
Legendary Skins will cost 1,000 credits
Epic Skins will cost 250 credits
Rare tier will cost 75 credits
Common tier will cost 25 credits
Sadly, we don't yet know what any of the skins look like. Though in the developer update above, game director Jeff Kaplan hypes good ones for Junkrat, Mercy, McCree, and Widowmaker. We'll surely start getting peeks as that Aug. 8 launch approaches.
Topics Blizzard Entertainment Esports Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
