This type of gameplay encourages players to choose heroes based on their strengths and the role they play in the team's overall strategy.
[5] As Valve continued to expand the game, the company released additional media, including a line of "Meet the Team" videos that helped to build out each character class and their backstory.
[7] The subgenre had a substantial rise in popularity with the announcement of Battleborn and Overwatch in 2014, with both games later releasing nearly at the same time in 2016.
[1] Overwatch proved more popular of the two games, and by January 2021, Gearbox opted to shutter Battleborn's servers.
[13] Modern popular hero shooters include Apex Legends (2019), Valorant (2020), Overwatch 2 (2023), and Marvel Rivals (2024).