The “#Overwatch” hype is still in full swing after the recent release of the latest Horizon Lunar Colony map. Similarly, data miners have also found some clues pertaining to a certain highly-anticipated hero and the return of the Summer Games. In line with this, PVP Live shares that there were some undocumented changes in the latest “Overwatch” PTR Patch that hint at the return of Lucioball.
This popular game was spearheaded by none other than the game’s freedom fighting DJ wherein two groups of players aim to push a large ball into their opponent’s goal.
Lucioball was also the first of the many special arcade modes that would follow like Junkenstein’s Revenge, Capture the Rooster, Uprising, and Mei’s Snowball Offensive.
Origins of Lucioball
Back then, the Summer Games took everyone by surprise as Blizzard never actually released any announcements or teasers hinting at the event. It tied in with the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro with the Brazilian DJ, Lucio, being the face of the event. Lucioball was the very first seasonal event brawl in the game that brought in a spin on how fans could play "Overwatch".
The brawl itself is a fast-paced 3v3 mode based on soccer. Lucioball did not use any pre-existing stages in the game but instead introduced the custom map, Estádio das Rãs.
Each match lasts up to four minutes with the stage looking similar to a typical soccer field. Blizzard also put in some jump pads and speed-boosting walls for a more diverse playstyle.
Here, Lucio’s abilities are altered as his primary fire is now his melee attack. This short-ranged action is mainly used to dribble or pass the huge ball to a nearby teammate.
Meanwhile, he keeps his alternate fire while his Crossfade is locked to speed boost. Finally, his “Amp It Up” skill only affects him and not the team while his ultimate ability pulls the ball towards him instead of creating a sound barrier.
“Overwatch” PTR Career Profile
Redditor Elooohell was scanning through the Career Profile page in the game and came across three interesting stats: Goals, Interceptions, and Saves.
These three specific terms were used in Lucioball as Goals meant the number of times a team scored while Interceptions was the number of times a player interacted with a ball shortly after the enemy pushed it away. Finally, Saves was when players would successfully deflect a ball just as it was about to hit their goal.
With this in mind, it seems highly likely that Blizzard is gearing up to bring back the “Overwatch” Summer Games mode. Game developer Jeff Kaplan had already expressed his interest in bringing back the said game mode this year even without the Olympics.
