Overwatch 2 developers felt pressure to improve the game with Marvel Rivals coming to the hero arena shooter genre. Read to learn more about Overwatch 2’s response to competition and its future updates.
Overwatch 2 Welcomes Marvel Rivals As Its Competition
Blizzard Feels Internal Pressure To Improve Overwatch 2
Overwatch 2 developer Blizzard Entertainment felt pressure within the team after Marvel Rivals’ successful launch. Overwatch 2 Game Director Aaron Keller shared his thoughts in a GamesRadar+ interview dated February 15, 2025 on Overwatch 2’s outlook as Marvel Rivals entered the hero arena shooter genre.
Keller admitted that the team was pressured to improve their game because of Marvel Rival’s arrival. "There is pressure on the Overwatch team, and a lot of it is internal." Keller said. "It's [asking] how do we make the best possible game that we can? And we've been feeling it for a while."
While the team has been working on improvements with plans for seasons 15 and 16, major developments for Overwatch 2 have been on their mind for quite some time. Keller pointed out "And I think what's driving that is, when we look at our game, we feel like it's either missing something or it hasn't evolved as much as it should have."
Overwatch 2 Developers No Longer Playing It Safe
With the release of Marvel Rivals, Overwatch 2 faced its biggest competition in the genre, and developers are no longer playing it safe with the updates and improvements for the game. Keller acknowledged that they are in a competitive landscape with Marvel Rivals, especially since both games are closely similar to one another.
He expressed the team’s excitement and pointed out a few reasons for their enthusiasm. Keller explained, "One of those is, it's really great to see a game kind of take a different direction with some of the things you've kind of looked at before." This situation also forced them not to play it safe anymore, and reiterated "But really it's a forcing function to execute – and for a team of super passionate craftspeople, that's like music to their ears."
Overwatch 2 previously hit its lowest player count on Steam following the release of Marvel Rivals in December 2024. It was also reported that Overwatch 2 lost almost 40 percent of its players in the past 2 months, which is in correlation with Marvel Rivals hitting a record-breaking player count with the launch of their 1st season. Overwatch 2 has indeed met its competition with Marvel Rivals, but with the upcoming release of seasons 15 and 16, Keller is confident with the changes they will introduce.
Negativity Surrounding Overwatch 2
Overwatch 2 remained "Mostly Negative" on Steam with 114,905 negative reviews as of writing, which is something the game has experienced since its launch in 2022. Keller wanted to let people know how much the game has changed over the years and appreciates people who have been playing the game.
"I think that there's been a lot of people that have stuck with Overwatch over the years that have really noticed the care and attention that we've put into it since Overwatch 2 has shipped" he said. Despite the negative reviews, Keller remained positive and hoped that "those people really see that with a lot of the things we've been sharing lately, and hopefully that can spread out to the broader community as well."
The game received negative reviews due to its over-promising and under-delivering. Developers showcased and marketed the game as something bigger than it is, but turned out to be an almost identical version of its predecessor Overwatch, which disappointed a lot of fans. Keller understood the fans’ sentiments, and said "They thought that the game was going to be something that it didn't end up being – I get the criticism, but from the team's point of view, the only thing that we can do about that now is to make the best version of this game that we can."
Incoming Big Changes To Overwatch 2
The upcoming changes to be implemented in the next few seasons of Overwatch 2 could be the biggest update to how Overwatch is played since its initial release in 2016 according to Keller. The updates include upgradeable perks, the new Stadium mode, the return of loot boxes, 6v6 competitive matches, map voting, hero bans, and new heroes. Keller explained that the goal of the team is "to inject a bit of freshness into the game, but not just for variety's sake. We want to increase the depth of play."
The team wanted to adapt to the changes happening in the industry, so Keller mentioned "So for us, we want to take the game and evolve it to be bigger than what it is now, and to make those changes. To not just say, 'Hey, what's the best thing for Overwatch?' – the whole shooter and gaming landscape is changing over time, and how do we make something that appeals to those players?"
Even with the controversies the game has faced through the years, Keller wanted to push forward and keep making Overwatch 2 the best game it can be. "Moving forward, we would like players to just think of Overwatch the game, the PvP shooter, as something independent of some of that baggage. We recognize not everybody can do that though. I think eventually there has to be a reckoning with something like that, and we really do have to face it head on. Right now, for seasons 15 and 16, it's not the moment for us." he explained.
Overwatch 2 will have its 15th season on February 18, 2025 which will introduce the perks system, loot boxes, Lunar New Year skins, a rank reset, and more. Check out our Overwatch 2 page for the latest information about the game.
Source:
Overwatch 2 Game Director Gamesradar+ Interview
