Evolve originally launched in February yet today Turtle Rock Studios have announced their intention and plans to add what they are calling “Observer Mode”; best of all this will be a free update that will allow players to stream matches with commentary, without any additional software. To quote from the website “All you’ll need: a copy of the game, and a gamepad or mouse and keyboard”.
The new mode will work by allowing a sixth player to enter the match who will not affect the gameplay but will be able to watch the match in progress. They will be able to see a custom panel providing them with different information about the match including the survival odds of both sides. The information panel will also have the option of being turned off for observers who would prefer a more cinematic experience while watching, the observer will also have the option of marking players making them easier to see in the game.
While the new mode is primarily for Evolve livestreamers this could also be used to monitor tournaments such as the ESL Evolve ladders to aid in making the matches easier for viewers to watch.
There has been no hint of a release date for this mode yet however the devs promise the release will be “soon” and are even showing the mode during two livestreams on the 5th and 6th of this week. The streams can be caught on their twitch channel: www.twitch.tv/evolvegame