Overwatch adding more social features with new endorsement system, Looking for Group options

In a recent Developer Update announcement, Overwatch has confirmed new teammate feedback options will be available for allies and opposition with the newly added endorsement system. The Overwatch Developer Update also highlighted the Looking for Group option where players can create groups and open their invites to any kind of player, or restrict them to specific needs set by the group leader.

It pays to be nice

With so much of the criticism of Overwatch being launched at the negativity that can be felt in a competitive environment, the Developers at Blizzard are launching an initiative to praise the well-mannered populus of Overwatch players with the new endorsement system.

The new update will disperse ‘endorsements’ of other players, friend or foe, into three categories. The first category allows you to salute positive players on the enemy team with the Sportsmanship endorsement. Players that exhibit good sportsmanship after a quality play or show graciousness in defeat can now be rewarded for their positive feedback.

The second category is strictly for your teammates with the Good Teammate endorsement. If a player on your team is flexible to different heroes when called upon, giving off a positive attitude in voice chat, or simply filling out his role and aiding the team in productive ways, this endorsement type is for the ‘unsung heroes’ of the team that simply get the job done.

The final category is geared towards honoring the players that rise up to the occasion and command their squad to victory. The Shot Caller endorsement can now be granted to the teammate pulling the strings and calling out the action as it comes. Being a vocal leader not only in attitude and strategy will come in handy for players always looking to elevate their team to the top. The new endorsement system is a positive step to reward players for their impact to team environments rather than simply reprimand them for toxic behavior.

At different points throughout the year, consistently endorsed players will be granted special rewards from the Overwatch team for their consistent gameplay. At this point, Overwatch has not specified what those rewards will be.

Looking for Groups has never been easier

Another major topic during the Developer Update was their new social feature to create and/or browse for specific groups based on your preferred playstyle with Looking for Group. Overwatch’s dev team tailored this mode for specific group leaders that are looking for teams to play specific roles that can be set at the group leaders discretion.

With this option, players can advertise their specific needs for a group, whether it be for competitive climbing or a fun group environment, in their group descriptions so all players joining can be on the same page. Overwatch’s developing team stressed that this is not an option for matchmaking, but a method to find and group up with players with similar intentions to yours.

In addition to these compatibility features amongst Overwatch players, the Developer Update also highlighted new added parameters for privacy to each profile. Players can now set their profile visibility to private or open depending on their setting, giving players an option to be invisible to players they don’t want having their basic Overwatch information.

The Overwatch Developer Update also specified that there will be two more quality-of-life social features that will be added to the game before the end of the year.

Image Credits: Blizzard Entertainment