Overwatch 2 Director Calls Marvel Rivals Competition ‘Exciting’

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home February 17, 2025 8 Views 5 Min Read
Overwatch 2 Director Calls Marvel Rivals Competition 'Exciting'
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Summary

  • Overwatch 2 director views Marvel Rivals’ competition as exciting and welcomes the challenge.
  • Marvel Rivals closely emulates Overwatch’s foundation, which has prompted Blizzard to introduce major changes.
  • Blizzard plans significant upgrades for Overwatch 2, including a perk system and a Stadium mode.

According to the director of Overwatch 2, the competition provided by the growing popularity of Marvel Rivals is “exciting.” Marvel Rivals launched in late 2024, and poses the most significant threat yet to the dominance of Overwatch 2 in the hero shooter space.

For as much as some fans have complained about Overwatch and Overwatch 2, there’s no denying the influence Blizzard’s game has had. Not only did Overwatch effectively define the hero shooter genre with its debut from the ashes of the canceled Blizzard Titan MMORPG, its focus on easily identifiable characters with distinct kits went on to influence other live service games like Call of Duty and titles in other genres. New upstarts like Marvel Rivals owe a significant creative debt to Overwatch, even as they challenge its reign.

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In an interview with Gamesradar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller said that the team “welcomes” the competition Marvel Rivals represents. He also expressed confidence in Overwatch 2‘s ability to take up the challenge, and highlighted what’s coming next in Overwatch 2 Season 15 and beyond.

Overwatch 2 Team No Longer ‘Playing It Safe’ After Marvel Rivals

Keller praised Marvel Rivals for, in essence, taking Overwatch 2 on its own turf. He said that before Marvel Rivals, the team had yet to be confronted with another game “so similar to the one that we’ve created.” Indeed, Marvel Rivals hew closely to the foundations laid by Overwatch and Overwatch 2, so much so that fans of both games can readily suggest Marvel Rivals mains based on Overwatch 2 preferences.

After seeing Marvel Rivals succeed at taking some of Overwatch 2‘s ideas in “different directions,” Keller said that the team at Blizzard won’t be “playing it safe” anymore. To that end, he pointed to some of the major changes coming to Overwatch 2 teased by the recent spotlight reveal event. These include an upgradeable perk system for heroes and a brand-new “Stadium” mode that introduces a customization and buying mechanic inspired by the likes of Valorant and Counter-Strike. Blizzard is also introducing much-requested features like 6-versus-6 team play, map voting, hero banning, and even reintroducing long-dormant monetization features like loot boxes.

Keller also said that the team relishes the challenge, treating the “pressure” as an opportunity to further improve Overwatch 2 and ask itself questions like “How do we make the best possible game that we can?” He said that the coming shakeups in 2025 represent the chance to “inject a bit of freshness” into Overwatch 2 and “increase the depth of play.” Should Keller and the team’s gambit succeed, it could mean a new era of success for the now-venerable hero shooter, making it better for players, as well as for Blizzard.

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