Finally, there was some news from Overwatch 2. However, the developers are taking a bold step. The group size of the teams is shrinking.
This is the situation:
- Overwatch 2 has finally shown new gameplay from the PvP.
- The group size in Overwatch matches is decreasing from 6 to 5 players, forgoing one tank.
- Tanks are being reworked to become more like “bruiser” heroes.
The Overwatch community has been quite dissatisfied for quite some time. This is primarily due to the fact that the content flow for Overwatch 1 has virtually ceased, and information about Part 2 is still sparse. However, the developers have now shown fresh gameplay from PvP scenes and dropped a major bombshell: The old 6v6 principle will be scrapped.
This is what the Game Director says: The relatively new Game Director Aaron Keller had this to say about the changes:
We feel that this is the next step in how Overwatch should be played. When you think about it, a lot happens on an Overwatch map. It’s an extremely fast-paced game.
We have always tried to make our fights easy to understand, and even with all the work we put in, it’s sometimes just too hard to keep track of what 11 other players are doing on the battlefield. Removing 2 makes everything simpler and allows players to better understand everything around them and make better decisions.
The face and figurehead of Overwatch was previously the “old” Game Director Jeff Kaplan. However, he announced about a month ago that he is leaving Blizzard and thus also stepping down from his position as Game Director for Overwatch 2. Kaplan was basically the mentor for Keller, who has now taken over. Kaplan’s departure was met with quite an emotional response from players.
Still, Overwatch 2 will continue to implement the “role lock system,” where only a certain amount of each character type can be present in the team. The previous “2-2-2” (2 tanks, 2 DPS, and 2 supports) will then become a “1-2-2” – meaning only 1 tank and 2 DPS heroes and 2 supports.
You can watch the entire stream with all the new announcements and first insights here:
Why is this being changed? Tanks have been a problem in Overwatch for quite some time. The influence that two tanks can have on the match is enormous. In many cases, two tanks can create such a significant barrier that they can buy enough time to secure the respawn of the entire team or protect each other so well that the wall of hit points seems nearly insurmountable. Keller stated:
Tanks can be problematic. A DPS hero is simple – they just shoot. But a tank has many abilities that draw attention and, when stacked with other tanks, can create problems for other teams trying to counter them.
However, this change also means that individual players will have more weight in the team. According to Keller, this increases the chance that every player “has the opportunity to make a stronger impact.” This enhances the potential for individual players to “carry” the entire team and creates more cool moments.
This is also changing for the tanks: But also the remaining tank in the team will soon fulfill a different role than today. Blizzard wants to move away from the concept that tanks are simply “solid walls” that opponents have to work through. Instead, tanks are to be pushed more towards the hybrid direction to make them effective “bruiser” characters, who can take a bit more damage but cannot constantly envelop themselves in defensive abilities.
What do you think of the planned changes? Cool innovations, or is Overwatch going down the wrong path?
