Blizzard and Facebook have signed a new deal that will allow players of Blizzard’s games to livestream gameplay, the companies have announced. The deal also sees the ability to sign in to Blizzard games using their Facebook login.
Facebook logins will be added this month to Blizzard’s PC games: World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Diablo 3, Starcraft 2 and Overwatch. The login option will be used to facilitate livestreaming of gameplay directly to Facebook, a functionality that’s being called “Go Live”. Streamed gameplay will appear on players’ timelines, and your Facebook friends will be able to subscribe and receive notifications when new streaming content is available.
“Blizzard games are best when played with friends, so it’s important to us to provide our players with features and services that make it easy and fun to share their experiences with each other,” said Gio Hunt, executive vice president of corporate operations at Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re working closely with Facebook on this integration for Overwatch, as well as our other games, and we look forward to sharing further details on our plans as development progresses.”
The announcement follows recent experiments that saw the Blizzard hosting livestream events over the social media platform. Heroes of the Dorm, Blizzard’s collegiate Heroes of the Storm tournament, and Overwatch‘s recent launch event met both met with success for the developer.
“Blizzard has a passionate community of players, and an incredible track record for launching innovative and high-quality gaming experiences,” said Leo Olebe, global games partnerships director at Facebook. “Our collaboration on Overwatch demonstrates Facebook’s commitment to partnering with AAA game companies, while further empowering Blizzard gamers to connect and share the content they’re most passionate about with the friends they play with around the world.”
Overwatch is Blizzard’s latest game, and the company’s first original IP in 18 years. An online-only multiplayer shooter, Overwatch sees teams formed from 21 unique heroes competing on a number of maps set around the world. It’s rather good, too - receiving an “Essential” score of 10/10 upon its release last month.
“While some may turn their nose up at the lack of single player content, to do so would be a disservice to what has been delivered,” I wrote in Continue Play’s Overwatch review. “Fiendishly addictive, incredibly fun to play and overflowing with Blizzard’s signature surplus of polish, Overwatch is one of the most enjoyable shooters on the market right now – and a strong contender for Game of the Year.”
Dale Morgan
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