Overwatch 2’s director discusses balancing, collabs, rewards, and Season 4 competitive play updates

With six months of work on the team vs. team shooter Overwatch 2 now under his belt, director Aaron Keller is taking a moment to take stock and address matters within the game and its community, as he recounts what’s been done and discusses some of the work that is still ahead.

The first topic of discussion was related to support roles, which now are in “a better place” by Keller’s assessment, particularly thanks to several adjustments to support heroes and balancing applied to DPS characters.

Keller then spills a lot of ink over competitive matters, with a specific focus on rating resets and rank systems. To these points, some changes are coming with Season 4 including a temporary end to rating resets and some new elements that will let players see their rank progress along with win/loss data.

On the topic of rewards, Keller talks up a variety of updates that are in progress like a much larger hero progression system, the return of the “on fire” mechanic, and adjustments to the post-match play of the game showcase to better highlight unique game-making plays.

Finally, the One Punch Man collab reportedly went over well enough that the devs are now considering additional transmedia synergies with the shooter.

If you’re looking for mention of PvE – aka the feature that was first touted as a major part of the sequel – you’re not going to find it anywhere. For everyone else however, there are plans afoot.

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