Blizzard shooter 'Overwatch' coming to consoles, not free-to-play as expected

During the 2015 BlizzCon, many fans were shocked to find out that “Overwatch” would not be a PC exclusive and would be coming to current-gen consoles as well. Apparently, the title was designed to be playable on consoles from the beginning and will now be included on anticipated game lists for PS4 and Xbox One owners.

With the game officially coming to consoles, there were concerns that the console version would simply be a port of the PC game, making it inferior when compared with the original. Apparently, that won’t be the case, as Polygon confirmed that the game was made for consoles and computers from the beginning of development, as the developer's goal was to release “Overwatch” on a number of platforms.

The developers made sure that the title would play smoothly on consoles as it does for the PC, despite the fewer number of buttons in the former. The game apparently feels great with a console controller, which might give “Star Wars Battlefront” some competition since both games are current-gen multiplayer shooters.

Blizzard also confirmed that the game will not be free-to-play, despite many fans' assumption, given the popularity of free-to-play shooters like “Team Fortress 2.” There will be two different versions of the title; the base game, which is exclusive to PC for US$40 (AU$56.71), and the premium “Origins” edition, which will be available for PC and consoles for US$60 (AU$85.06), according to Kotaku.

The “Origins” version of the game will come with a few extra features like character skins and other items. It seems like either version will be enough for those who simply want to participate in the multiplayer battles of “Overwatch,” which might be why it’s not a free-to-play game.

All versions of the title will have 21 heroes, each one with their own unique ability. This adds plenty of variety to the chaotic firefights that are sure to happen once the game comes out.

“Overwatch” will be coming to the PS4, Xbox One and PC next spring, though no definitive release date has been given. There doesn’t seem to be a Mac version of the game in the works, though that may change in the future.

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