Blizzard Hopes Ashe Will Bring Back Lapsed Players

When speaking to Gamasutra at Blizzcon 2018, Overwatch Executive Producer Chacko Sonny said engagement was the most important thing to the team. It “drives everything” from monetization to feedback. On that note, he said he hoped that the continued rollout of new heroes, such as gunslinger Ashe, and other content will maintain and reinvigorate fan engagement.

Sonny stated:

Even for players that may have lapsed [when it comes to playing Overwatch], we want them to come back. We hope there are people who see Ashe and, “oh man I got really great at Widow, but I want to come back and play Ashe.”

Considering Blizzard’s emphasis on its players, it makes sense that the developer would consider all facets of the community, even those who have been gone for a while. In that sense, new heroes not only have to fit the style, lore, and mechanics of the game, they also have to be geared towards fans of other heroes. This allows current players to change over from their mains and lapsed players to return in the hopes of finding a new one with some familiar qualities.

You can play as Overwatch’s 29th hero, Ashe now. She officially became available on console following this week’s update. Learn about her origin story in her official animated short.

[Source: Gamasutra]