Team 4 is the Blizzard Entertainment team in charge of developing Overwatch and Overwatch 2.
Overview[ | ]
As of September 2, 2016, there were roughly 100 developers in Team 4, with five disciplines: Audio, Art, Engineering, Production, and Design. There are also two full-time Business Operations people, an esports director, a dedicated Quality Assurance team, and a dedicated Community team.[1] As of early 2024, the team consists of around 400 individuals.[2]
The team was restructured during the development of Overwatch 2,[3] and its size expanded, in order to cover the development of a free-to-play game.[4]
History[ | ]
Team 4 was formed to develop Titan, a next-generation MMO. Though Team 4 grew in members, Titan itself was not coming together right.[5] The game was officially cancelled on September 23, 2014.[6]
In the summer of 2013, a small core group started working on a new idea, which would become Overwatch.[7] The size of the team fluctuated throughout the development of Overwatch, ranging from about 40 developers to 75, the number they had at the launch of the beta. Around launch, the audio team was brought on full-time, as well as an automation team, who kept the beta stable.[1]
In February 2019, after a round of layoffs at Activision Blizzard, it was announced that the team would be expanded.[8] In late 2020, Team 4 was further expanded in size, as it continued to work on Overwatch 2.[9]
During development of Overwatch, more and more of Team 4 were transferred to work on PvE.[10] In January 2024, half of the team's environment team was cut.[11]
Games[ | ]
- Titan (canceled)
- Overwatch (2016)
- Overwatch 2 (2022)
Trivia[ | ]
- Tracer's T-Racer skin has "Team 4" written on her pulse pistols. This may be a reference to the team.
- A number of the developers' children play Overwatch.[12]
References[ | ]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 2016-09-02, Jeff Kaplan talks about Team 4, Overwatch Forums.
- ↑ 2024-03-18, Overwatch 2 Devs Fear Story Missions Have Been Canceled. Kotaku, accessed on 2024-04-01
- ↑ 2022-06-23, Overwatch 2 r/Games AMA - All Questions and Answers. Reddit, accessed on 2022-07-11
- ↑ 2022-09-26, Overwatch 2 Devs Spent A Year Making Genji's Customizable Mythic Skin – Exclusive Interview. Game Informer, accessed on 2022-10-02
- ↑ 2014-10-04, The Three Lives Of Blizzard Entertainment, Polygon.
- ↑ 2014-09-23, Blizzard cancels its next-gen MMO Titan after seven years, Polygon.
- ↑ 2015-05-27, BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Origins Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, retrieved on 2015-05-31
- ↑ 2019-02-12, Activision Blizzard has record profits, so it’s cutting 8% of its staff. Blizzard Watch, accessed on 2019-02-13
- ↑ 2020-12-17, Developer Update | Kanezaka | Overwatch. YouTube, accessed on 2021-01-27
- ↑ 2023-05-19, DIRECTOR’S TAKE – REFLECTING ON THE FUTURE OF OVERWATCH 2. PlayOverwatch, accessed on 2023-05-20
- ↑ 2024-01-26, Ex blizzard employee says *HALF* the environment art team has been cut from OW2. Reddit, accessed on 2024-02-01
- ↑ 2023-06-22, Overwatch 2: Invasion Reveal Livestream | Story Missions, Flashpoint, and more!. YouTube, accessed on 2023-07-19