Being a multiplayer game in 2025 is difficult. We’ve seen the rise and sharp declines in games like Concord and Xdefiant, and while Marvel Rivals exploded into the style scene, there have been more than 101,500 games that once attracted nearly 650,000 players on Steam alone. Despite being an OG hero shooter, Overwatch 2 I was not immune to this struggle. That steam rating is still sitting in the particularly disastrous “almost negative” 25%. However, it is juxtaposed with the success of the stadium, and many claim it has led the best times of Overwatch 2. So, how do the team reconcile with the fact that the latest content is loved by the community, but is the steam reputation of the game still in proverbs toilets? I asked Game Director Aaron Keller at Gamescom 2025.
“That’s something I think a lot,” he tells me. “Our active players say, ‘Hey, the game has been or is at the best it’s been around for so long. You have to harmonize it with the reputation from the wider gaming community.
“(Their reputation) is one of the reasons we have a bigger swing. We’re trying to break through some of that noise and let the players who wrote in Overwatch 2 know that something exciting is still going on in this game. It’s very different About the game, and it’s about a really long journey. I think it has leveled up as a competitive FPS game. It offers players more strategic choices in the match. Looking at the stadium, there are more ways to change the way heroes play. ”
The stadium certainly feels like after the release of the biggest inflection point of Overwatch 2, adding an all-new round-based MOBA-esque game mode with perks that completely change the way the heroes play. The game’s Steam players counted spikes overnight (no doubt they’ve featured mirrors on battle.net and other platforms), breathing new life into what sometimes felt like a game on the last leg.
When I spoke to Keller ahead of the stadium launch, he told me that this was part of Blizzard’s aforementioned plan of “taking big risks” and “big swing” in Overwatch. The gift of hindsight asks if the stadium’s risks paid off and if its success has enabled further innovation in the future.
“Our players will see more of that,” Keller says with a smile. “It’s doubled in Season 18. With over 60 new perks released, there’s at least one for every hero in the game. But it’s not just about adding new content. It can help the game feel fresh, but it’s about taking player feedback and implementing it. Excited, we’re taking it to the next level and making it really sing.”
Season 18 marks what Keller calls the “Stadium 1.0 release”, adding four more playable heroes, and finally introducing them to the Quick Play Pool. There are more maps, including two additional maps, a new game mode (Payload Rush). This feels like the final form of the stadium.
However, we’ve seen other Blizzard games start significantly from the general formula – Battle Royale Mode in World of Warcraft, Plunderstorm, traded the typical MMORPG action for a fast, fast, enthusiastic PVP. I ask Keller if the team will move away from the core shooter experience and pay attention to the wind in the spirit of the sister title.
“Teams are definitely willing to try something new and see what they can have with Overwatch. Now we’re focusing on competitive PVP experiences. We also need to make sure they fit into the framework of the game (new). We need to maintain our identity.” However, he notes that there’s always a “risk of adding to the game” as the case is that using stadiums, arcades and basic competitive modes is “a bit simplifying the lineup” before teams commit to more content.
Of course, that question was followed by a cheeky investigation into PVE, inspired by the recent transfer of hatred associate narrative designer Ereni Rivera’s Diablo four-ship Diablo two-team overwatch. story? Overwatch? It must be PVE, I hear you cry. Sadly, it’s not that simple.
“I love our story design team and do a lot of things throughout the project,” he smiles. “Sometimes, they just help us name perks and abilities, and even heroes and maps – even map signs! They do some heavy things for us. Injustice – have players heard this before?
“Internally, we have a place we want to get to. We have plans on how to do it, but we’re not ready to talk about them yet. We know that our community remains in a difficult place to hear the same answer again, but we want to realize that we’re not trying to get the same shiny treatment we’ve had before.”
Overwatch 2 Season 18 is currently live, adding all of the aforementioned stadium changes and many new perks. You can check out the full season summary here.
If “Stadium 1.0” is music to the ear, and you’re dealing with dirty damage like me, check out our list of the best Overwatch 2 Stadium DPS build codes. Or, if you want to push your settings to the maximum, here’s a guide to the best Overwatch 2 settings on both your PC and Steam deck.
Are you still playing Overwatch 2? If so, hop on our discrepancies and tell us which bit of Season 18 you’re most excited about.
