‘Overwatch 2’ Director Seems to Be Enjoying the Competition with ‘Marvel Rivals’: “There’s actually something kind of exciting about this.”

Blizzard’s Aaron Keller is welcoming the competition from Marvel Rivals, calling it an exciting shift for Overwatch 2. For the first time in a while, Overwatch is facing a game that feels very similar. This new competition is pushing the team to shake things up.

Keller explained that this pressure is actually a good thing. Marvel Rivals, created by NetEase, is borrowing some Overwatch ideas, but it’s adding its own twist with Marvel’s superheroes.

This has forced the Overwatch team to think about what comes next for the game, pushing them to innovate rather than play it safe. “We’re obviously in a new competitive landscape that I think, for Overwatch, we’ve never really been in before, to this extent where there’s another game that’s so similar to the one that we’ve created,” Keller said.

Big changes are coming. New features like upgradeable perks, a third-person Stadium mode, and even the return of loot boxes are on the way. Keller said these changes were in the works long before Marvel Rivals hit the scene.

The team has been thinking about how to add depth to the game for a while now. “There’s actually something kind of exciting about this, for a few reasons.” Keller claims, adding that the competitor’s success is also a “forcing function to our team – this is no longer about playing it safe.”

The changes coming to Overwatch 2 aim to bring fresh gameplay. “There is pressure on the Overwatch team, and a lot of it is internal,” he added, concluding: “We want to inject a bit of freshness into the game, but not just for variety’s sake. We want to increase the depth of play.”

New perks will let players make more strategic choices, either to enhance their own hero’s abilities or counter the other team’s tactics. Keller says these adjustments are meant to shake up the gameplay and keep things exciting without just adding variety for the sake of it.

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