Overwatch is likely to see separate balancing across its PC and console versions as Blizzard monitors which heroes perform better on each individual platform.

It's been on people's minds for some time now, but Blizzard has finally come forward to announce that its newly-released shooter Overwatch will indeed be balanced on consoles, separately from the PC version. This statement was made by the game's official Twitter account in a reply to a fan's question. The shooter, which has reached over 7 million players across platforms in its first week alone, is currently planned to receive separate balance patches for its PC and console versions.

What this means for Overwatch players, is that some heroes will be weakened or buffed as Blizzard sees fit, but not necessarily in the same way across all platforms. For instance, a character like McCree who relies on precise aiming to get many of his kills may see a nerf on PC versions, where users' twitch reactions allow for much quicker snapshots.

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Since consoles are limited by the use of controllers, it isn't possible to aim nearly as fast, without an incredible sensitivity level, making the character less dangerous to encounter. Similarly, characters that are seen as being over-powered on console might not be viewed in quite the same way when it comes to Overwatch's PC version.

As it happens, Blizzard has released the shooter to a rather good reception, with the full roster of 21 heroes feeling balanced and fair. Some heroes counter others, leading to interesting games that have players changing character on a regular basis. Every member of the roster has their own strengths and weaknesses which they can exploit in the objective-based gameplay that Overwatch offers. For a full breakdown of the characters, we've created a handy guide that provides a list of each hero's preferred play-style.

Just recently, Blizzard announced its intentions to look into the possibility of cross-platform support for Overwatch, a feature that is sure to create a lot of excitement to the game's fan base. Whether this will happen or not is still very much up in the air, though it should be noted that because of the separate balancing, PC and consoles will be unable to cross-play.

When asked about whether PS4 players would be able to take on their PC rivals, the official response on Twitter was that mixing mouse/keyboard and controller play could lead to "balance and competitive issues." These balance issues would likely be extremely noticeable in the game's Ranked Play mode which is set to release later this month.

Overwatch is now available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Overwatch - Twitter