If you were hoping that the latest development video for Overwatch from game director Jeff Kaplan would reveal the ins and outs of the game’s ranked progression system, you’ll be disappointed. But it’s not that he won’t reveal it, it’s that he can’t. There’s nothing to reveal yet. Discussions are still being had internally about the best way to handle ranked competitive play. Still, that doesn’t mean that he can’t talk at length about the philosophy behind ranked play and how that influences design, which is the focus on the video in question.
Kaplan frames the discussion as one where there are two extremes between players who are just shy of professional status and really want to rank players on one end, with players who are just casually goofing around at the other end. Many people fall somewhere in the middle; there’s a desire for distinct progression, but also a desire for enjoying play and not to get super-competitive. Check out the full discussion and the team’s musings in the video below.
