As Overwatch 2 thrives, Blizzard outlines how it's tending the game's foundation

Blizzard has been massively improving Overwatch 2 throughout 2025. The team has spent the last few months introducing a slate of game-changing features and modes that breathe entirely new life into the aging hero shooter, reminding us why OW2 is so good in the first place. Between the new perks, hero bans, and Stadium game mode, Overwatch 2 almost feels like an entirely different game right now. This is undoubtedly a good thing, but it's also reasonable to feel a bit worried about how these new features could overshadow Blizzard's focus on the core game. Well, the Diablo and World of Warcraft studio is here to alleviate those fears.

In the newest Director's Take blog, Overwatch 2 associate game director Alec Dawson takes time to address the multiplayer game's future. "Brand-new gameplay might be getting the headlines, but I want to take this space to talk about the importance of solid footing as we move into the future. Some folks have expressed worries that introducing so much new content will take attention away from our core game modes, existing heroes, or areas of the game that need tuning or reworks.

"New content is fantastic," Dawson continues, "but it's vitally important that we create an environment where that content can do well. That environment must be healthy. Gardens need to be maintained or they'll never flourish and we feel the same way about all parts of this game."

Dawson goes on to say that, with each season, Blizzard wants to give you "Reasons to Come Back and Reasons to Stay." This means every season should include a big reason to jump in, like a new hero, game mode, or mechanic, but it also needs to improve a part of OW2's ecosystem. Dawson adds that Blizzard's focus between reasons to come back and reasons to stay changes between seasons, however, depending on what's being added.

"The start of the year – like Season 9 and Season 15 – should always feel massive and our moment-to-moment gameplay sees a significant shift. We're currently planning out what that means for next year, but it'll bring big things," Dawson adds.

As for what you can expect from the next few seasons of Overwatch 2, Dawson has a lot to say. Season 17 is introducing the new Flashpoint map, Aatlis, alongside the map voting feature. Reworks for Suravasa and New Junk City are also coming in the latter half of Season 17, which Dawson says have influenced how Aatlis is designed. Then in Season 18, you can expect a big Perks update. Dawson says every hero will have something new to try out, with major perks getting an across-the-board level up to help them feel more like transformative moments when acquired.

Dawson also explains how features like hero bans and map voting can help Blizzard get a quick understanding of major in-game issues, and take action on them. They say that Sombra's high ban rate is already illuminating how the team will need to make some changes to her in the near future, while Freja's jump in ban rate after her recent buffs urged the team to drop hotfix adjustments.

"All of this is to say that we recognize we're adding a lot of new things to the game in a short amount of time. But we're still committed to keeping Overwatch's ecosystem—that metaphorical garden—maintained and flourishing," Dawson concludes.

If you're still deep in OW2's newest mode, make sure you check out all the best Overwatch 2 Stadium DPS builds and Overwatch 2 Stadium support builds to get a competitive edge.

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