Blizzard Promises “Groundbreaking” Overwatch 2 Changes Are Coming

Overwatch 2 will be receiving “groundbreaking changes” that are “unlike anything you’ve seen before” later this year, according to developer Blizzard.

What, exactly, those changes will be is still a mystery, but Blizzard has announced a livestream titled Overwatch 2 Spotlight for February 12 to dive into all the updates. The stream will also be dedicated to showing off new heroes and maps coming this year.

Various Overwatch 2 content creators will be going hands-on with the changes and new content, and those who watch partnered streams will be able to score the Lucio Cyber DJ Legendary skin as a Twitch Drop.

Blizzard has recently been experimenting with a 6v6 format similar to the original Overwatch (and even introduced a limited-time Overwatch Classic playlist), after the sequel shifted to 5v5 matches. It’s unclear if a return to 6v6 will be part of the “groundbreaking” changes Blizzard is teasing but it seems like a possibility.

Overwatch 2’s latest season introduced Hazard, a new tank hero. Season 14 additionally introduced the game’s latest crossover, transforming Overwatch heroes into characters from Nickelodeon’s beloved animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The announcement of major changes coming to Overwatch 2 come after the hugely successful launch of Marvel Rivals, an extremely Overwatch-esque hero shooter featuring Marvel Comics characters, in December 2024. Marvel Rivals, which is free-to-play and available on PC and consoles, reached 20 million players in under two weeks. It’s also regularly in the top five most-played games and top-earning games on Steam.

Developer NetEase has promised to add at least two new playable characters to Marvel Rivals during every three-month season, with its first season introducing four–Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, and Human Torch. Overwatch 2, for comparison, received three new heroes in 2024. In addition to introducing new heroes, Marvel Rivals Season 1 also brought sweeping balance changes and a look at the most-picked heroes and villains currently available.