Overwatch is, as all of you know, a very intense game. Unlike PUBG and Fortnite which offers low phase periods of looting and hiding, Overwatch starts off directly with non-stop chaotic action that simply does not stop until the first side swap. This offers little room for observers and fans to reflect on what really happens, Overwatch just keeps the action going.

Even experienced fans have a hard time keeping track of the respawns, hero switches, and the alternation of rock-paper-scissor style tactics. And when the action goes from intense to diabolic, fans will miss a big part of all the ults and moves that are unleashed in a very very short time span.

“As a tank fan, you rarely see when the tank creates space for the DPS to shine as the streams mainly focus on the where the kills happens. Overwatch is so much more…”

This, I believe, is a fundamental risk in Overwatch as an esport — it’s just too intense to really follow.

Blizzard have done a great job in improving the viewer experience; the unified team skins, the weapon effect colors, the skilled observers and talents who follow a hero for longer periods of time, all contributes to really helping fans follow and understand the game they are watching.

With the introduction to Command Center, I believe Blizzard are trying to address exactly this problem. But frankly, Blizzard delivers an experience which I find substandard. The user experience is not really where it needs to be for this complex video experience, and here is why:

Selecting the hero I like to see

In the Command Center, users can see a more complex perspective and layout. But there is no extra choice for the users to select players they want to watch. They are still forced to watch a linear match of pre-selected streams. As a fan I miss the opportunity to follow the player I like to see.

In Znipe.TV users have the ability to select player POVs at their liking. Fans can select a perspective based on player, hero or situation, and watch that perspective for as long as they like.

The best experience is when the users get the option to choose themselves; if you are a support player — watch the support hero, if you like to see the minimap — just drag it into view. Change the perspective based on your liking.

See a example how the multi-POV empowers the fans to select their own experience:

The Znipe video player in action, select any players POV and watch up to 4 streams at once

VOD handling

The Command Center is only available during live matches. As a European watching the replays I will have to stick to the traditional stream, making my investment in the Digital Ticket questionable. I can only assume that this is a temporary limitation that the Blizzard developers working to fix. But I must stress the importance of it.

At Znipe.TV we offer our service to the global audience of esport and ensure that those who watch the VOD gets the same great experience as those who watch it live. Because both esport and its audience are global, and everyone should have the possibility to see the matches without losing sleep.

DVR

My final though on Overwatch Command Center is lack of the DVR functionality. DVR is a possibility to rewind and watch a moment again during a live stream. For example, if you missed the first 5 min of the match, you could still jump back to start and watch the game from the countdown. This is such a strong feature and not providing it to the fans is… well its not fair to the fans that are willing to pay for a premium experience. Znipe offers this fantastic feature to all fans allowing everyone to skip back in time or to live at their choosing.

Final word

Given the above observations, I believe that Blizzard is steering Overwatch in the right direction and I trust that their talented team will soon deliver a top-tier viewing experience matching the expectation of their fans, an experience with true multi-POV.

Edit 2018–04–09:

Blizzard make it clear that they are not the ones delivering the Command Central, this is a Twitch endeavor. <link>