This week's Overwatch news: Loot boxes galore

Overwatch is a truly dynamic game, which means there’s always something new going on behind the scenes or in the community. Each week, we’ll have a round-up of the latest game news. That might be balance notes, character rumors, esports announcements, or just unmissably funny gifs. Here’s what Overwatch fans need to know for the week of June 26.

1. New developer update video

Jeff Kaplan gave one of his regular addresses to the Overwatch community last week. The video mostly focused on some improvements to the Highlights feature. Overwatch has always captured clips from matches, but now it will retain your best plays for 24 hours. That gives players enough time to save any real standout moments outside of the game. Plus the team is testing out support for key bindings that will automatically save a gameplay clip that goes to the Highlights section. This seems like a more relevant tool for PC players since the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One already have built-in tools for that, but it’s still a nifty addition.

More broadly exciting, though, are upcoming changes to how loot boxes work. Going forward, loot boxes will have a much lower chance of opening duplicates of items already in your collection. That’s especially good news for when th next event comes around, because you’ll be much more likely to get those limited-time items rather than the same Soldier 76 spray you’ve already seen four times. The update is already up and rolling on the PTR, so stay tuned for its arrival soon.

And on a totally unrelated note, I’m so sad that D.Va jersey isn’t for sale.

2. Overwatch Twitch Prime loot box

Speaking of loot boxes, Twitch Prime members have an easy way to pick up a few. The latest is a super-swanky Golden Loot Box that at at least one guaranteed legendary item. Blizzard’s blog post has details on how eligible folks can claim theirs.

Twitch Prime is a program for users of the livestreaming service who have connected their Amazon prime accounts. In addition to fewer ads, Twitch Prime users also get regular freebies. Based on the description published by Twitch, it looks like Overwatch will be in the rotation for free goodies again in the coming months.

3. Reddit AMA with the voice of Mercy

The doctor is in! Voice actress Lucie Pohl is hosting a Reddit AMA this Wednesday. She announced the event with an Instagram post (and then a second, more accurate one above). The real time is indeed 2 pm EST / 11 am PST.

4. Doomfist, for real this time?

Before the official announcement of Orisa as the latest hero, fans and players were expecting the new addition to the game to be Doomfist. Now, the rumors about this character are back after his name appeared in the user crash reports from the PTR. The unexpected sneak peak behind the curtain hints that Doomfist may be a part of a Summer Games special event rather than a new hero. But if Terry Crews is indeed involved with him, we’re down for whatever form his arrival takes.

Check back every Monday on GamesRadar+ for more Overwatch mayhem and magic.

Anna Washenko
Freelance Writer

Anna is a freelance writer who has written for the likes of GamesRadar, Ars Technica, Blizzard Watch, and Mashable. She's also created games as part of various game jams. Anna likes games about solving puzzles and/or shooting things. She wishes she could trade zingers with GLaDOS and have beers with Garrus Vakarian in real life.