Jeff Kaplan showcases huge new Overwatch ‘Workshop’ mode – how it works, details and more

Bill Cooney

Overwatch came out with a surprise Developer Update from director Jeff Kaplan on April 24 that introduced players to a brand new “Workshop” mode that will allow players to control and mess around with almost every aspect of the game.

Kaplan has promised “big things” coming for Overwatch in 2019 and it seems like the dev team is starting to deliver with the new Workshop mode, which is available now.

April 24 was the first time any news about the new feature has come out and based on the initial reactions it seems like some fans are pretty excited.

How is it different from Custom Games?

The Workshop was created by two Overwatch developers in their spare time and is a simplified game scripting system that expands the customization features available in the Game Browser.

In the workshop, players can create script to alter almost anything in the game, from unique rules to play conditions and even hero customization. For example if you wanted to make a Lucio wall race game mode or even prototype a unique hero idea, you could.

“This isn’t a map editor,” Kaplan clarified in the Developer Update. “You won’t be able to create custom geometry or import art into the game that doesn’t currently exist, it mainly allows you to control the game logic behind game modes and what’s happening with different heroes.”

Kaplan said he was excited to see what players come up with while using the new feature, while a lot of fans seem excited to be able to “create their own game” within Overwatch. 

Based on how much freedom to create is being given to players, we could see a massive increase in Overwatch content coming from the Workshop.

Additional Workshop features

The Workshop will also come with a ‘share’ feature that will generate a code allowing players to share their custom creations with each other, something that was fairly tedious in Custom Games.

As an added bonus, the new mode will be available on console as well as PC, so players on every platform will have access to the newest feature.

Blizzard provided an in-depth guide to using the Workshop, since many of its elements are based in game design elements.

There was a lot of skepticism from fans when Kaplan said big things were coming for Overwatch in 2019, but so far it looks like he and the dev team are following through.