Blizzard’s new Summer Games limited time event for Overwatch is more than just an Olympics-themed collection of skins, sprays and emotes; the developer is also adding a new gameplay mode called Lúcioball that brings three-on-three soccer-like gameplay into Overwatch.
Lúcioball will be played on a new map set in Rio de Janeiro. Overwatch assistant director Aaron Keller describes the new mode as a fast-paced spin on soccer in which players will punch, bounce, boop and wall-ride as Lúcio to score goals.
"Understanding how Lúcio’s abilities affect the ball is the key to mastering Lúcioball," Keller said on the PlayStation Blog. "For this brawl, his primary fire has been replaced with a melee attack, allowing Lúcio to punch the ball — perfect for dribbling, passing, and shooting from short range. When you need to launch the ball across the map, Lúcio’s secondary attack emits a blast of sound that gets the job done nicely."
Lúcio will play a bit differently in the new mode. Unlike Overwatch’s other modes, Lúcio’s speed boost ability will only affect himself, not his teammates. His ultimate ability, Sound Barrier, also pulls the ball toward him, Keller said.
Overwatch’s Summer Games event also includes more than 100 seasonal items to unlock and collect. Every loot box opened during the event, which runs until Aug. 22, is guaranteed to have at least one Summer Games item.
Blizzard says there are more seasonal events on par with Summer Games coming to Overwatch.