Summary
- Overwatch 2 devs keen on learning from Marvel Rivals, anticipating healthy competition to improve their game.
- Competition crystalizes what makes each game special; Overwatch 2 designers see value in rival heroes for player focus.
- With Marvel Rivals looming, the Overwatch 2 team eyes strategic improvements to keep players engaged and loyal.
Overwatch 2 developers have officially shared their opinion on Marvel Rivals, saying they are looking forward to learning from their game’s new competitor. Though the Overwatch 2 devs couldn’t outright talk about Marvel Rivals for obvious reasons, it seems like they hope to learn from the journey and success of the upcoming hero shooter.
Marvel Rivals is a new hero shooter being developed by Marvel Entertainment and NetEase Games. Since its announcement in March, it has been clear that it and Overwatch 2 shared similar DNA and that it would quickly become one of Blizzard’s biggest competitors. So far, reports from the game’s playtests have been promising, with the Marvel Rivals closed beta being a huge hit among fans.
Now, Overwatch 2 has broken the silence on its newest competition. During a discussion with Overwatch 2 content creators Flats and SVB for the Group Up! Podcast, lead hero designer Alec Dawson and game director Aaron Keller addressed a question pertaining to what they could learn from “Overwatch clones” like Marvel Rivals. While he deliberately avoided talking about Marvel Rivals directly, Keller said it would “be interesting to see how these other games change over time” and looked forward to watching and learning from it as it developed, especially as it tackles other issues Overwatch 2 has encountered. The full segment begins at 1:21:40 during the Group Up! Podcast.
Overwatch 2 Game Director and Lead Hero Designer on Marvel Rivals
Dawson then followed up with some thoughts of his own. “Competition is good. It’s healthy, and it starts to crystalize what makes your game special, too. It helps you hyper-focus on those things,” he said, “And it makes it clear to players and yourselves what are the competitive advantages that you have over other games.” While he cites the love and care put into its heroes as one of the things that makes Overwatch 2 special, he seemed excited to see how games like Marvel Rivals will compare and contrast to it – and that having competition will make their game better in the long run.
Until Marvel Rivals officially comes out in 2025, it will be hard to tell exactly how it will measure up to Overwatch 2. It is possible some players will leave Overwatch 2 in favor of the new game, though undoubtedly some will prefer the Blizzard shooter over Marvel Rivals, while others will jump between the two. Either way, fans of hero shooters will benefit the most, as having competition will hopefully improve both Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals.
“Competition is good. It’s healthy, and it starts to crystalize what makes your game special, too. It helps you hyper-focus on those things... And it makes it clear to players and yourselves what are the competitive advantages that you have over other games.”
The Group Up! Podcast interview had tons of other interesting information in it, including confirmation that Lifeweaver is getting some buffs in the next Overwatch 2 update and that the original Overwatch was almost a 7v7 game. Between Marvel Rivals and the upcoming 6v6 and other gameplay experiments, it is safe to say Overwatch 2 might look a lot different by this time next year.
Overwatch 2
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WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
