Overwatch has quickly catapulted into being one of the best selling FPS Games. The esports section is already witnessing millions of dollars in investments into the Overwatch League. The League is backed by the game developer Blizzard. They have been wooing several traditional sports teams and companies to invest in OWL. The first season was a six-month-long season with each team playing 40 matches in the regular season.

However, there are several things which Overwatch still lacks compared to other esports titles. Overwatch still does not have a decent statistics system. For an esports which sees a lot of competition and structure, the lack of a statistics page is a worrisome sign. Overwatch is a very fast-paced game. It requires excellent analysis by professional teams in order to remain abreast of the meta. Over time, there have been third-party software applications which provide players with statistics. This is not based on any official data, but it is a culmination of visual analysis of the player’s screen.

Blizzard disallow Pursuit / Visor usage

Earlier this month, several players received warnings for their usage of third-party software such as Pursuit and Visor. Blizzard sent emails to users warning them of gaining unfair advantages due to the usage of this software. They also put forth an extended warning for continued usage of this third-party software. Blizzard mentioned the possibility of a permanent ban in Overwatch players continued to ignore these warnings.

I am aware of the warnings that @PlayOverwatch has sent out to anyone using the @pursuitgg app. I think this is a very poor decision, and should be reconsidered. Stats are important to both team and individual play, and @pursuitgg provides this without interfering with gameplay. — Jayne (@AskJayne) September 20, 2018

The community saw this as an extremely controversial move, as Blizzard themselves do not release statistics for playing games. For a competitive game like Overwatch stats are extremely important to the teams and the players. However, even apart from the professional scene, it is important for casual players to be able to assess their performance. With the lack of any official system, Blizzard’s ban on third-party applications has confused a lot of players.

There is no doubt that Blizzard can do what they want with their IP. But with a ban on third-party software, we expect Blizzard to provide better features in their game. It would truly be an opportunity lost if Blizzard did not have anything in the pipeline with regards to a replay system and display of statistics.

Every game has ready accessibility to statistics

Overwatch is just one of the few esports titles in the world of esports. Indeed, it is the newest esports title on the block. Almost every other Major esports title has statistics available to the players without any restrictions. Anyone can access these statistics and analyse them. For a coach or an IGL, these statistics can mean a significant boost to their productivity as well as an increase in efficiency. Rather than constantly reviewing VODs of every match, coaching personnel can gain quality insight from these statistics.

Overwatch is still a very new game. It has barely completed a couple of years since its release. So it is understandable that it does not have several key features [ read statistics and Replay system ] yet. However, team owners are paying anywhere between $30 – $60 million per franchise for Season 2. It makes you wonder why Overwatch does not have such a crucial feature in their game yet.

From a casual point of view, access to one’s stats would mean a big deal in self-improvement. It does not matter whether you are Bronze or Grandmaster, every player wants to improve. Self-Analysis of statistics is one of the first and most effective ways of improving as a casual player. The other way is to watch the replays of their matches. But Overwatch does not have a replay system either. While it is possible to save highlights from one’s match, one cannot access the Video of the entire match without third-party recording software.

Advantages of a Replay System

The replay system will revolutionize the Professional Overwatch team’s preparation. Teams will be able to watch the movement of specific players and understand their characteristic playstyle. A replay system calls for a better focus on individual and micro details. A team’s strategies often evolve depending on their opponents. With a proper replay system showing the Point of View of their opponents, a team would be able to wait for enemy flanks at certain timings. It would also open up the array of games across tournaments and scrims, something that the average viewer cannot see most often.

A replay system allows for better pacing, a great synergy as well as an understanding of their opponents. It allows players to understand their own playstyle and how others might want to counter them. One of the best Counter-Strike Global Offensive players, Device regularly studies his own playstyle via heat maps and replays. He does this because he wants to understand how others would want to counter his style of play. It allows him to constantly evolve his own playstyle confusing enemies and always staying a step ahead.

The replay system is very common across the esports titles be it Dota 2, CS: GO or League of Legends. It is an intrinsic part of any game. This is what makes its absence from Overwatch extremely surprising. Dota 2 allows viewers to see a player’s clicks as he moves across the map including how he queues up items as well as

Better Analysis

From the production point of view, having a better replay system is crucial to the casters and the desk. Titles like CS: GO, Dota 2 and Overwatch have great analytical pieces on the desk. Analysts are able to dissect a particular player’s style and point out certain advantages with the same. For a game like Overwatch, positioning and movement across the map is crucial. The availability of a heat map would help the Analyst desk to understand what was working for a particular player.

When a player like Birding or Saebyeolbe does something flashy, the viewers only get to see the end result. But there is a lot of buildup to this finality, which is exactly what some viewers would love to witness. It would be the analysts’ job to explain the same to the viewers. For an average esports fan who often wants to emulate the professional players’ gameplay, this would be a big advantage.

An official upcoming feature?

Pursuit is basically a third party software. It does not rely on Blizzard API but on an assumption of your kills and statistics. It has wide usage, especially in the absence of any official statistics from Blizzard. But with the recent warning against its usage within the game, its future definitely looks bleak.

We all know that Blizzard is working on releasing a replay feature within Overwatch. This is one of the most requested features by Overwatch professional players. Along with the replay system, Blizzard might also be looking forth to releasing its own official statistics feature very soon.

With Blizzcon starting on the 2nd of November 2018, we can expect a slew of news to come forth. The eight new franchises have yet to officially name their teams. With Season 2 fast arriving, it will be one of the best times to disseminate further information for Season 2.

An official Overwatch statistics section along with replays would be very beneficial to everyone concerned. For now, the Overwatch world Cup will continue on the sidelines of Blizzcon 2018.