On Thursday, Overwatch devs finally gave some details on the future of Overwatch 2 with a showcase of the upcoming multiplayer changes. Details on the future title have been sparse despite the game first being announced back at BlizzCon 2019 and it has left fans asking for more. We know that the multiplayer is going to be an update to the first game, while players will need to pay for the player vs. environment story mode, but that’s it. Fans’ confidence in the game wasn’t improved when game director Jeff Kaplan left Activision-Blizzard in April, so they really needed a big splash to get fans talking about their game.
It did not take long for the devs to make a splash. They started off the event by announcing a huge change to Overwatch. 6v6 combat is gone. Games will now be 5v5 with two DPS, two healers, and one tank. This is going to change the entire structure of how heroes are designed and how games are played. Fans got a chance to see this new combat in action on a brand new map during the event.
Further experimentation required.
All new abilities updates for Winston’s Tesla Cannon and Mei’s Endothermic Blaster coming to Overwatch 2. pic.twitter.com/adGLsGYLD2
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) May 20, 2021
Ever since Overwatch was launched the developers have always tried to push players towards a 2-2-2 style meta. Sure this was frequently broken with metas such as triple DPS, GOATS, and triple tank, but the developers would always try to update the game to push everyone back towards 2-2-2. Eventually, they forced players into this with role queue. The game has always been, by design, about 6v6 style combat. So moving to 5v5 is going to change everything.
For starters, tanks are going to need to be completely reworked across the board. Off-tanks like Roadhog and Zarya will need to be switched from off-tanks to main tanks, or maybe have a role change entirely, while main tanks such as Winston will need to have more damage potential since they’ll be without off-tank support. The showcase proved this a little by showing off that Winston, a hero all about getting up in player’s faces, had been given a secondary ranged attack.
What will be interesting is how this impacts strategies. It seems likely the game is going to be faster, but this also is going to accentuate weak points on a team. If a Winston for example dives in by their lonesome and dies early in a team fight, there is no one around to help absorb damage. Healers are left out to dry and a team is going to fall apart quickly. On the flip side, this could make classic combos like Pharah-Mercy even more powerful now that a healer can focus on keeping up a single tank instead of two.
Obviously Overwatch 2 could still undergo more changes before release, but this is an exciting change that is sure to make playing Overwatch feel completely differently. Whether that different feeling is good or bad will depend on if they make the right changes to help 5v5 feel like a better experience than classic 6v6.