Overwatch 2 is having quite the resurgence at the moment. The ever-iconic hero shooter has struggled to move the needle since its rocky launch back in 2022, and has been buried by new competitors in recent months – NetEase’s Marvel Rivals specifically. But then Season 15 rolled around. Adding the new perk system to the game and reintroducing loot boxes, Overwatch 2’s recent Steam reviews place it in the ‘Mixed’ category as opposed to ‘Mostly Negative,’ where it’s been sitting ever since it launched on the platform. It’s clear that Season 15 is certainly doing something right.
Whether it’s the return of lootboxes and their seemingly endless bounty of free cosmetics (which include weapon skins, by the way) or the new Overwatch 2 perks that completely change the multiplayer game‘s traditional setup, Season 15 has been a roaring success. While Overwatch 2 would peak at between 34,000 and 37,000 before the update, we’ve seen that number increase to 59,332 and – at least for me – OW2 is all over my X feed again.
A quick glance at the game’s recent Steam reviews isn’t exactly encouraging, but it’s not as harrowing as it has been. One player notes that “the recent update is what the game should always have been,” with another saying that Blizzard “really has stepped up its game.” While some players will always get a kick out of ripping into Overwatch 2, the response to Season 15 feels more positive.
But why has this only happened now? It’s a question with many potential answers. The most obvious one is, of course, Marvel Rivals, NetEase’s comic-book-inspired take on the traditional hero shooter formula. When I ask director Aaron Keller ‘why now?’ however, he tells me it’s because the team simply got “too conservative.” Season 15 is about “taking risks,” and so far it appears said risks are paying off.
“I think players want developers to be taking big risks – I think they want them to make these big, exciting things for their games,” Keller tells me. “The flip side of that, though, is that, for the developer, when they take these big risks, they have to either hit what they’re going for or not do it at all. I do feel like we’ve really hit something really fun here with Overwatch.
“When we released the Overwatch 2 Spotlight video [seen above] we wanted everybody to see all of this cool stuff that we’re developing, but we’re also hoping that another message gets out, and it really is all about the vision, not just of what Overwatch is, but the way we’re developing it.
“It’s that the Overwatch tea wants to take bigger risks, we want to take bigger swings with the game,” he continues. “If I’m being totally honest with you, critiquing Overwatch 2’s development, I think sometimes we’ve been a little bit conservative with it. So this is us recognizing that critique and showing our players – and the gaming community itself – that the Overwatch team wants to take bigger risks and do exciting things with our game.”
But, while perks are innovative and new, it feels like Overwatch 2 is going back to the core philosophies of what made its predecessor great. I often feel that, in the pursuit of perfection, the ‘fun’ element of videogames gets left by the wayside. Keller agrees, noting that the team has “overcorrected a bit” and, as a result, Overwatch has lost the ‘hero’ part of ‘hero shooter.’
“When you look at the broader shooter market there are different styles of shooters, and Overwatch has always occupied – until very recently – a very unique spot as a game that’s really about arena-based combat; it feels like it sits in a spot of its own.
“When you’re working with a hero shooter like this in that spot, there’s this mix of competitiveness that your game needs to have – people want to go in and believe that the game is fair and balanced, but at the same time, they want to feel that fantasy of what a hero is and what they can do. When they step into the shoes of someone like Tracer or Sigma – who’s a weird example because he doesn’t actually have shoes – you just want to feel overpowered.
“When I analyze the way that we’ve occupied that spot over time, I do think sometimes that that the game can shift a little bit towards those tactical shooters where it can get a little bit competitive,” Keller continues. “One of the things I think that we’ve realized lately is that maybe we’ve overcorrected a little bit, and we need to just kind of recenter and focus on the fun and the fantasy and the power of what it means to just be a hero. So there’s a little bit of a shift happening right now.”
Overwatch Season 15 is live right now, and I really recommend taking it for a spin. As someone who loves Overwatch but hasn’t felt much excitement recently, this feels like somewhat of a rebirth for the series, and I can only hope it gets better from here on out.
If you’re looking to pick up some new cosmetics, here’s how to unlock lootboxes in Overwatch 2 – man I’m glad they’re back. Alternatively, if you’re more about substance over style, read up on all of the Overwatch 2 characters to ensure you’re choosing the right hero for the job.
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