Overwatch 2’s game director, Aaron Keller, recently addressed the community during a Jay3 livestream, clarifying that the recent major updates to the game are not aimed at competing with Marvel Snap. Despite Marvel Snap introducing healthy competition, the new talent system, arena mode, and hero ban features were planned well in advance, with strategies set over a year ago.
Keller acknowledged that the presence of Marvel Snap did accelerate the implementation of the hero ban feature by “one or two seasons,” as the high-rank competitive mode in Marvel Snap already included a similar mechanic. However, he emphasized that these updates were part of the original development roadmap. Given the complexity of systems like the talent system, which require over six months of development, the timing is coincidental rather than reactive.
Looking ahead, Keller revealed that starting from Season 18, the development team plans to “significantly speed up” their update cadence, hinting at more ambitious in-game and external plans for 2026. When asked about the need for bigger changes to stay competitive, he hinted that players might see more impactful moves from the team as time progresses.
This statement reassures fans that Overwatch 2’s evolution is driven by long-term vision rather than short-term reactions to competitors, promising exciting developments in the near future.
