In celebration of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Blizzard recently released a temporary Lúcioball game mode, an Overwatch Olympics event, that mirrors “the most beautiful game,” soccer (or fútbol/football to most of the world). Lúcioball puts two teams of three Lúcios each on a soccer pitch, punching and sonic blasting an enormous soccer ball into the enemy’s goal in a very clear nod to Rocket League. It’s a blast to play, and comes with all sorts of cool Olympic-themed skins, highlight intros, and more.
Still, why stop with soccer? Here are five more Olympic sports we want to see in Overwatch.
Archery
This one’s a no-brainer. You are already required to play a single hero in Lúcioball , so it makes sense that an archery competition could force you to play Hanzo, the game’s currently less-than-popular archer. Hanzo’s Storm Bow is a challenging weapon to use, especially after the recent changes to Overwatch‘s hitbox. This competition would pit several Hanzo’s in a time-trial event, requiring them to land as many shots on both standing and moving targets as possible. Whoever has the best time wins.
Alternatively, Blizzard could build a small arena in which six Genjis, painted like giant targets, parkour around the environment dodging Hanzo arrows. The Hanzo with the most kills and the Genji with least deaths each win their respective competition.
Volleyball
Now we get into stranger athletic territory. Volleyball is one of my favorite events to watch during the Summer Olympics. Considering the fact we have some characters with amazing movement abilities, I think volleyball would be a great addition to Overwatch.
Imagine a Lúcioball-like arena with an enormous net in the center. Each team would be composed of three characters each: Phara, D.Va, and Winston. Hitting the ball would toss it into the air or send it on a downward trajectory when hit in the air. Each hero would also bring their own talent to the arena, with Phara able to set up brutal spikes, Winston able to quickly move to defend, and D.Va able to quickly return serves in the air. Let’s go Blizzard. Make Overwatch volleyball a reality.
Curling
You might be thinking to yourself, “Wait. Is curling that weird sport where someone pushes a rock down some ice and people sweep the floor with a broom?” Yes, it is! Curling is actually a pretty neat team game that’s all about smart positioning and good angling. The goal is to get your granite stone closest to the center of a target by sliding it along ice, knocking away your opponent’s stones in the process.
Here’s how it could be implemented. Two teams of two Lúcios each take turns blasting a stone across a long runway towards the target. Then, by toggling on and off Lúcio’s speed boost, players shepherd the stone towards their target, giving it more or less speed as needed. Would this be an exhilarating shooter experience? No, of course not. Would it be hilarious? Absolutely.
Slalom
Slalom is a form of skiing or snowboarding in which the athlete speeds down a hill, swiftly turning to loop between poles set across the map. The fastest time wins, adjusted by the amount of poles missed during the athlete’s descent.
How would this work in Overwatch? I’m envisioning an entirely D.Va competition in which six players race down a hill through gates. While D.Va can’t shoot, she can rocket boost to quickly turn or fly through gates hovering in the air. By letting all racers compete simultaneously, Overwatch slalom would also let players knock each other about, jockeying for position. The player with the best time and accuracy takes home the trophy.
Ice Hockey
Here’s another easy one that would require only a few modifications to Lúcioball. My version of Overwatch Ice Hockey would follow a similar three-hero team. Reinhardt would be the goalie, of course. D.Va would be on the ice, body checking her opponents with her rocket boost. And Lúcio would be the striker, trying to flick the over-sized puck past Reinhardt’s shield. The biggest challenge for Blizzard? Working out ice physics to make the arena feel slippery.
Got an Overwatch Olympics idea of your own? Let us know @GetFandom!