Overwatch Introduces New Role Queue System, Overhauled Matchmaking

One of the biggest points of frustration for many players who take to Blizzard Entertainment's popular FPS Overwatch is likely selecting the heroes. Every player has their own preference on which heroes they like, how they play the game, etc., and this sometimes does not mesh well with other players they are matched up with. This is why the dev team has introduced Role Queue, the new way of matchmaking that will hopefully remove that frustration from Overwatch, and match players together according to their roles.

"Currently in Quick Play and Competitive Play, a lot of important decision-making happens in the 40 seconds before a match even begins, as everyone selects their heroes and responds to others' role choices," reads the game's website. "It's not uncommon for players—who may all have different goals and play styles—to feel tension, pressure, disappointment, or even hostility as a team composition comes together. The Role Queue system is designed to help take the edge off this process, ultimately leading to matches that feel fairer and more fun, where players are in roles that they want to be in."

Here's a rundown of how Role Queue will work in Overwatch:

"With Role Queue, we're updating the matchmaking and queuing systems in Competitive Play and Quick Play so that players choose which role they want to play—tank, support, or damage—before a match even begins. The matchmaking system will then match two tanks, two supports, and two damage heroes to create a team, and upon entering match, players will select heroes within their chosen roles. At the end of a match (in both Competitive Play and Quick Play), players will return to the main menu and select their role before queuing for the next game.

"Each of the three roles will have its own queue, and players will be able to see estimates for the wait time for each at the role-selection screen. Several factors go into those estimates, but they'll generally reflect the number of players queuing for a particular role. To help incentivize a more even distribution of players across all roles, players who queue for roles that are currently in high demand may get a reward.

"We believe that Role Queue will improve match quality, give players more control over their gameplay experience, and provide more positive social experiences between teammates."

Role Queue is currently live in the Public Test Realm on PC. A Role Queue Beta Season will be held in the live game from August 13th until September 1st. When it comes to the Overwatch League, the locked 2-2-2 roles will be implemented in Stage 4 of Season 2, which begins next week.

As for Overwatch itself, the game is currently available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. For even more information on the game, check out some of our previous coverage.

What do you think about all of this? Are you glad to see Blizzard introduce Role Queue into Overwatch? Do you believe it will have a positive impact on gameplay? Sound off in the comment section below, or feel free to hit me up over on Twitter @anarkE7!