Overwatch 2 Is Finally Earning The "2" In Its Name
The Overwatch team is done with being "conservative" with its game, opting instead for player choice and a bit more chaos
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Turns out, fans aren't the only ones who think so. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Blizzard Studios, attend its 2025 Spotlight event, and discuss what's next for the series. Though I went in expecting the kind of frantic and/or defensive energy that comes with heightened (not to mention Marvel-backed) competition and a diminishing ROI, that wasn't what I was met with. Across my discussions with game director Aaron Keller, lead hero designer Alec Dawson, and other key team members, I saw a studio that was hard at work on one thing in particular: dismantling the protectiveness they had over their own creation. And it's about damn time.
"There's a difference between being fully beholden and chained because of the history of something or the past successes, [and] respecting that and cherishing it because it's super important. Overwatch has been around for a while and has had a lot of people play it over the years, but you don't have to be beholden to it," senior game designer Dylan Snyder told me. "[Let's] get a little fun with it. Embrace a little chaos. I think that is absolutely the attitude that we've approached it with."
Snyder, alongside art director Dion Rogers, is at the helm of Overwatch 2's newest mode, Stadium, which might very well be the most direct assault on the game's core gameplay loop. And I can say, without a hint of hyperbole, it is the most fun I've had with Overwatch 2--or any multiplayer shooter, really--in years.
Billed as a mode that will stand beside Quick Play and Competitive as a new pillar of Overwatch 2, Stadium introduces new layers of strategy and unpredictability into the game, as well as an entirely new perspective--literally. The result of two years of hard work, a lot of creative thinking, and the studio leaning into the game's MOBA elements, Stadium sees players lock in to a single hero whom they continuously build up and modify throughout a series of seven rounds. Players upgrade their character through a robust skill tree that not only amplifies a hero's skill set but can add entirely new moves and playstyles, while a new, third-person perspective allows for a greater understanding of what is happening during the match--as well as a chance to truly appreciate all the work the art team is pouring into those animations, Rogers joked. In short, Stadium elevates Overwatch 2 into something smart, sweaty, strategic, and incredibly fun, while also fulfilling what Snyder and Rogers refer to as "hero fantasies."
"The heart of Stadium is maximizing the fantasy of a hero. We want to push beyond what Reinhardt could be as a knight or what Cassidy could be as a cowboy," Rogers said. "For example, Bastion, for a long time, was like the ultimate [idea] generator. We'd pick an ultimate for him [and it would be like] Bastion could fly. We were chasing this Transformer fantasy for him."
I spent about an hour and half playing Stadium mode, and within a few rounds, I understood precisely what Rogers meant. Shortly after rounding a corner as the gunslinging Cassidy, I was met with an absurd sight: Reaper, shrouded in darkness and flying through the air, as if he truly were the harbinger of death himself. On top of making himself a free-soaring phantom, I also noticed my opponent had invested heavily in upping the power of his already punchy shotgun, rendering him a real Tank destroyer and a major problem at close range. As such, I decided that making myself particularly lethal from afar would be preferable to making myself more durable, or stun-focused.
Thankfully, Starter Builds are included in the skill tree menu--referred to in-game as the Armory--to make learning how to build your hero in a certain direction a bit simpler and to reduce decision paralysis or fatigue. Rather than following the Crit and Fan path, which focuses on generating more bullets for your revolver and powering up Cassidy's Fan the Hammer ability, I chose to focus on becoming "the apex hunter." Within a few rounds, Deadeye--Cassidy's Ultimate ability--became utterly ruthless and quick to execute.
If I died, I gained 15% Ultimate charge. If I killed an opponent? 15% Ultimate charge. By round five, I had greatly increased my six-shooter's damage output, Deadeye's power was up by 20% or so, and I had also made it so I had more health and could move around 30% more quickly once I popped my Ult, ensuring my favorite glass cannon would survive long enough to take down as many enemies as possible.
I know this all sounds a bit annoying and overpowered, but that is precisely the point. Everyone was annoying and overpowered. And in that sense, none of us were. As I chatted with my team, giddily explaining some new, ridiculous thing I could do, they would chime back that they could do something just as absurd. I found myself frequently checking the menu that featured a rough overview of my allies' and enemies' builds, which would enlighten me as to which abilities and modifications I should trade out to better support my team or take down a problem opponent. Stadium's back-and-forth was more than immensely satisfying--it was energizing, and the only bad part about it is simply that I have to wait one more season to play it again.
Yet Stadium wasn't the only game-changing addition showcased during the Overwatch 2 Spotlight event. Perhaps even more notable is the Perks system, which has already been implemented across every game mode and allows players to level up their heroes in battle, albeit to a lesser extent than Stadium.
For those yet to give Overwatch 2 a whirl since their introduction on February 18, Perks kick in, theoretically, about a third of the way into your average Overwatch match. After accruing a set amount of experience--which can be generated by healing teammates, racking up eliminations, and performing other feats--you will be prompted to choose between two minor Perks for your hero. For example, Orisa may select either passive heat reduction or a buff to her Fortify ability.
Later in the match--about halfway, according to lead hero designer Alec Dawson--players will get to choose between two major Perks. In Orisa's case, she may pick between a higher-impact Energy Javelin or the ability to switch out her Javelin Spin for something lapsed Orisa main's might find particularly enticing: her Protective Barrier.
Compared to Stadium, these might seem less intense and to a certain extent, that's true. At the same time, the addition of Perks to Overwatch 2's core gameplay loop adds 172 new variables to the game. And these aren't variables we will necessarily grow accustomed to, mind you, as Dawson says the team plans to switch Perks out every so often and have a bit of fun with the system. Once again, the team cites the necessity to "let go" of Overwatch 2 as the reason for this massive shake up.
"There's a little bit of letting go of the fine balance that we made up and seeing how it all plays out to some degree. I think that's exciting," Dawson said. "There's always been an ethos that I've liked to follow, wherein we should be a little scared of what we're putting out there in terms of how it might affect the game to some degree--within reason, of course. And I think perks are that. It's going to be a lot for players to learn, and we're going to be monitoring how that happens over time, but also giving it room to breathe and just seeing how that balance plays out."
Just as I found myself admiring the team's willingness to "be a little scared" of their new additions and release their grip on Overwatch 2, I was frequently and incredibly appreciative of their trust in players. As I interviewed some of the game's key developers, I repeatedly asked if they were at all worried about rolling out so many changes, particularly when they require a degree of decision-making and strategic thinking by the player. Regardless of who I asked, I was given a similar response, which essentially boiled down to this: We're going to monitor it, but more importantly, we're going to let our players try it, learn it, and have fun.
Turns out, this is a solid gameplan. In my two hours spent testing out Perks, I did try them, learn them, and have fun. A lot of fun, actually. Though not as over-the-top as Stadium, Perks offered just enough of a reward and edge to--pardon my pun here--perk me up through matches and alter my playstyle. As a Mercy main whose greatest frustration is a half-health teammate who refuses to fall back, grabbing the Winged Reach minor Perk, which increased my Guardian Angel range by 30%, came in clutch and was immediately noticeable. Later on, I snagged Flash Heal, which allows you to cast Resurrect on a low-health teammate to grant them 150 health, and whereas Resurrect normally has a 30-second cooldown period, Flash Heal takes only 15 seconds to recharge. This might seem small, sure, but when you have 40 seconds left on the clock and your tank is under heavy fire, this perk can play a massive role in securing a win.
A rekindled player-first mentality is apparent in other ways, too. Perhaps the most notable is the return of loot boxes, which, despite their often predatory nature, were a feature many long-time fans longed to see return. That said, Blizzard is not approaching loot boxes in the same cavalier way it used to, presumably to avoid re-opening the same conversations around in-game gambling, addiction, and anti-consumer practices its had in the past. Instead, Blizzard is opting for complete transparency by listing item drop rates online and making the decision to not sell loot boxes; instead, players will be able to earn them through events, weekly challenges, and by leveling up their battle passes. Though there is arguably some element of paying for loot boxes, as players who purchase the Premium battle pass will have the opportunity to earn two Legendary loot boxes not included in the Premium battle pass, gone are the days of spending $40 trying to collect every Halloween skin. And I'm definitely not speaking from personal experience there. Definitely not.
Gavin Winter, Overwatch 2's lead systems designer, also shared insight into two systems recently introduced to Overwatch 2's Competitive mode, both of which allow for greater player agency than ever before: map voting and hero bans.
In comparison to hero bans, map voting is a bit less intense of a process--though considering the stakes are also less intense, it makes sense. Winter explained that once a player selects which map they would like to play on, their choice is assigned to a ten-sided die. This is then rolled to ensure that the popular vote doesn't always win and there is still some variety in location. Hero bans, on the other hand, allow for some light debate within a team as each team must choose two heroes to ban from the game. Though Winter admits some folks might be upset by the decision, he thinks it will ultimately make the game far more strategic and interesting.
"I do think there will sometimes be people mad before the game starts because someone's hero gets banned and they didn't want that. That will probably happen. But we think that also the variety it gives you is really huge, potentially, because it's a ranked choice," Winter said. "Sometimes we'll see some odd bans, sometimes we'll see a scenario where we managed to ban a lot of Hitscan heroes, and Pharah's still in the pool. And then it's like, well, Pharah's kind of the queen of this game at that point."
All of this isn't to say that, prior to these new implementations, there were no substantial variables in Overwatch 2. Every match is filled with them--that's what keeps things interesting--and with each patch, season, map, hero, and Overwatch player added, that number only grows. And yet, I think this is the first time Blizzard has truly revolutionized its game. Moreover, it's the first time it's ever justified the "2" at the end of its name.
In the two years since Overwatch 2 launched, it's felt to me like the team has more or less been trying to keep up with the Joneses--or the Fortnites, if you will. I've seen countless ideas executed not without passion, necessarily, but without a real sense of commitment and identity. There's been a lot of content across its 14 seasons, that's for sure, but what we've been lacking is substance. Though the game's new heroes are always exciting and well-designed, simply adding to a roster and fidgeting with the game's balance can only elevate it so far. And I think it's an understatement to say that the lack of once-promised regular PvE content cast an extremely large shadow over the game, one that many can't ignore and still feel burned by.
Overwatch 2 desperately needed something innovative and refreshing--something that could reignite the fanbase and get long-time but lapsed fans, like yours truly, back to playing. After attending Overwatch 2's Spotlight event, getting hands-on with new content, and seeing a bit more of Blizzard's roadmap for the game, I can confidently say, this is it. This is what Overwatch 2 should have launched with, and this is the direction the game should go in. When you create something as instantly iconic and beloved as Overwatch, it only makes sense that you would go to great lengths to preserve and protect it--to ensure the thing you and your fans know and love still looks and feels how you remember it. But man am I happy the team is finally letting it grow up and raise a little hell.
This story originally appeared on: GameSpot - Author:UK GAG
