Overwatch 2needs to be willing to take risks again, like it did when the first game originally launched. The sequel to the 2016 hero shooter has had a bumpy road, with everything from its monetization to its game format up for criticism. More recently, it got a powerfulnew competitor in the form ofMarvel Rivals, which lured a large portion ofOverwatch’s player base away when it took the world by storm in late 2024.
Now, though,Overwatch 2is at a crossroads. It’s making some serious new additions to keep players interested:the new Stadium mode, map voting, and now, Wuyang, another new support hero. While these things will help ensureOverwatch 2stays fresh as it rounds out its second year of life,it could be doing a lot more to stay relevant.
Overwatch 2 Has Been Playing It Safe
Getting Weird With It
Simply put,Overwatch 2needs more oddball heroes. Its latest addition, Wuyang, looks pretty cool - as a frequent support player, I’ll definitely be giving him a shot.
Buthe blends in far too well with the rest of the roster, simply because he’s another human hero. Just like Freja before him, Hazard before her, Juno before him, and so on and so forth, he’s just a humanoid.
I’ll admit, I have a soft spot for oddball characters, but I’m not alone in that regard. Recently, a rumor spread around the communityclaiming thatOverwatchwas leaving oddball heroes behindfor a renewed focus on human characters.
The rumor was eventually disproven, butOverwatchcame under so much fire for it that associate game director Alec Dawson felt compelled to respond during a livestream, promising some news on an “oddity” to be revealed “in the coming months.” Senior designer Dylan Snyder also posted onX(formerly Twitter) to reaffirm a commitment to oddball characters.
Even so, the fact remains thatit’s been seven years since the last timeOverwatchadded an oddball hero- the hamster Wrecking Ball, who rolls around the map running over enemies in a mechanized hamster ball. (Some consider Ramattra an oddball, since he is a robot, but I still count him among the humanoids.)
I still remember the glee with which I returned to the game when Wrecking Ball was released, and, while some of the other heroes added since have been pretty cool,none of them live up to that sheer absurdity. It feels like we’ve lost the magic that helped create characters like Winston and Bastion.
Overwatch 2 Needs A Complete Change In Strategy
Creativity Over Consistency
Throughout all its recent changes,Overwatchhas played things far too safe. New heroes are all well and good, but when they’re all so similar, it gets to a point where they’re not exciting anymore. Stadium mode has been divisive, but, while it has some new features, it’s ultimately more of the same.
Overwatch 2needs to change its strategy. Instead of humanoid heroes, I want to see bizarre characters I couldn’t have dreamed up if I tried. Instead ofmore crossovers and collabs, I want to see genuinely new content and fixes for what’s already there.
AsMarvel Rivalsstays consistent with new content dropsas it moves into its fourth season, other hero shooters need to adapt in order to survive. The only way forOverwatch 2to remain competitive is to take creative risks instead of playing it safe.
