Overwatch Buries Its Future and Thus the Best Game Mode Ever

The arguably best game mode in Overwatch is dead. MyMMO demon Cortyn mourns it – but also knows what led to its failure.

Overwatch is actually doing quite well. After overcoming the mocking comments when the “2” was removed from the game’s name again, the hero shooter has developed splendidly. Sure, there are always complaints about overpriced skins or events that demand way too much time – but the pure gameplay has been good.

There were different modes, and especially the Stadium mode brought fresh wind. Here, you could buy items, customize abilities, and sink into chaos in short rounds as the powers became more absurd and powerful. Many referred to this mode as “the future of Overwatch” – an opinion I definitely shared.

The latest season in Overwatch introduced the “hero” Shion:

Now, however, Game Director Aaron Keller has clarified in a blog post: Stadium is not that popular. Only a fraction of the player base is even playing the mode. The consequence: Further development will be stopped, and the developers will be assigned to other tasks.

Such a shame, I think.

Only 6% play Stadium at all

In his post, Keller published some numbers regarding the various game modes and their popularity. One can see how many of the daily Overwatch fans are active in which game mode. I found the numbers surprising and even a little disturbing:

• 57% play the role queue mode (5vs5) in quick play.
• 37% play the role queue mode (5vs5) in competitive matches.
• 19% play open role queue (6vs6) in quick play.
• 8% play open role queue (6vs6) in competitive matches.

Even there, one can guess that things are not looking good for Stadium, but the list goes on:

• Mystery Heroes in quick play is played by 4%.
• Stadium (competitive) has only 3% left.
• Stadium (quick play) also has 3%.

Or to put it bluntly: Only around 6% of all daily players even play Stadium.

Why Stadium has dropped so much in popularity, I can only guess. From my perspective, there are certainly some possible reasons, but whether they can be generalized to the player base – no idea. But let me try:

Matchmaking without real matchmaking

The “ranked” system in Stadium was complete garbage. Because there was no real matchmaking. Instead of encountering opponents who match your skill level, the opponent assignment in ranked mode depended on the rank achieved.

However, the rank in Stadium is not – as in other game modes – dependent on your own performance, but mainly on one thing: the time spent in the game.

This means: The more Stadium you play, the higher your rank, regardless of actual skill. This ultimately led to players who play a lot of Stadium but are only average (like me) playing against people who spend less time in Stadium but are clearly more talented and ambitious.

After a while, this led to my friends and I being increasingly rammed into the ground as a season progressed, and we sometimes wondered whether we were even playing the same game as our opponents.

Stadium requires time

Another point is that a Stadium match simply requires more time. While normal Overwatch matches are usually completed in 10 to 15 minutes, a Stadium match can easily last 30 or 40 minutes – depending on how balanced the teams are.

Stadium is just not a mode you can quickly slot in between. You need to take specific time for it.

But you need time not only for the mode itself but also to understand it at all. After all, there are dozens of items and abilities that you first need to learn and understand. Understanding why Reaper deals so much damage in ghost form or why Orisa can reflect all shots and still fly – that takes time. You need to learn the combinations and know which items and powers to buy to counter others.

What remains of Stadium?

Keller has clarified what will change in the Stadium mode – and that is regrettably little. Because Stadium will remain in the game and will continue to receive balance adjustments, rank resets, and seasonal rewards, but the mode will no longer be expanded. No new heroes will be transferred to the game mode, and there will be no new maps anymore.

This also means that there will be no major reworks of the heroes anymore. So far, each season in Stadium brought a lot of fresh innovations. Many new abilities that significantly changed the heroes. The meta was shaken up every time, and the developers could unleash their creativity and create really wild things. That will no longer be the case.

Overwatch is dying for me again

First and foremost, I am quite sad. When I talked to the others here in the editorial office, for many, Stadium was what they considered the future of Overwatch. The potentially best game mode with loads of fresh ideas and endless possibilities to customize the heroes and simply create crazy, cool combinations.

There’s little as fun as a Reinhardt who can use his charge for 20 seconds straight, flying and picking up multiple enemies at the same time. Nothing feels as strong as throwing 4 nasty orbs at the enemies with Moira. Nothing is as frustrating as being chased by a Mei who approaches relentlessly in the form of a rolling, immune snowball, bringing a Blizzard with her.

At least one tradition seems to be maintained: Overwatch dies for me once again. And I’m not quite sure whether I can blame the community, which simply did not recognize the potential of this mode, or the developers, who failed to present some of the partially brilliant ideas in a way that would attract a wider audience.

But what do you think? Did you like Stadium? Or did you never warm up to the mode? Let us know in the comments.

In this sense: Thank you, Overwatch Stadium. You were the best thing that could happen to the game in recent years and gave me many enjoyable hours. Even if you still exist, it’s only a matter of time before you fade into obscurity and quietly disappear from the game’s menus. Shame. Really shame.
Well. Maybe we will soon at least get an Overwatch Netflix series. Because there are some hints for that. That should console me.