Season 9 of Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch 2 is on the way, and some of its new features have been revealed in a blog post from the game’s director, Aaron Keller.
The post looks forward to changes and goals for 2024, the main one of which is to improve both individual and team-focused gameplay. “When I look at the future of Overwatch, a year or two out, I don’t see the exact same game that we’re playing now, but with a few more heroes and maps added to it,” he said. “The game should always evolve with new systems and features that serve our players,” citing a map voting system, changes to the Competitive System, and changes in the moment-to moment gameplay.
Many of the gameplay changes revolve around making teamwork easier while making it less punishing when a team is not in sync. “When a team works together – each player using their hero to their fullest potential while relying on each other to execute a strategy – the game feels magical. There’s really no other FPS like it,” Keller said. “However, when this isn’t happening and players are all working on their own, the game is far from magical and can become frustrating.”
To make teamwork easier, players will be more likely to respawn with their teammates, and on-screen player health indicators are being discussed. They are also considering changes to the scoreboard and ways to minimize spawn camping.
To make individual play less punishing, all Damage and Tank heroes will get a passive healing ability, something previously reserved for the Support class. Though it is tuned down, it will make all characters less reliant on Support heroes and takes some of the pressure off of healers.
Keller acknowledged that this will change the balance of the game, stating that “we still want Overwatch to be defined by team strategy and mechanics, but we feel this can be pulled back a bit now and possibly more in the future.”
Finally, more Quickplay: Hacked events will be held to test player psychology in relation to changes to the Quickplay game mode. The post does not provide an exact release date for Season 9, but we know that these changes will be rolling out over the course of the year.