Okay, here we go. So, there’s this whole thing going down with Overwatch 2 and this new game Marvel Rivals. It’s like two superhero games duking it out for our attention, right? So, Aaron Keller, who’s helming Overwatch 2, mentioned—and this bit is kinda spicy—that Marvel Rivals didn’t really make them do anything they weren’t already dreaming up. Maybe you buy that, maybe you don’t. Anyway, that’s what he says.
When Marvel Rivals hit the ground running on December 6, 2024, everyone was, like, eyeballing Overwatch 2 to see what it would pull next. I mean, Marvel Rivals totally drew inspiration from Overwatch 2—Blizzard set the stage ages ago. And guess what? Overwatch 2 just chugged along and dished out some rad content: think Perks, Stadium, Hero Bans, Map Voting. You get the gist.
Switch gears for a sec—Keller and some folks from the team were having a laugh on Jay3’s stream, chatting about all this game stuff. Someone, I forget who (Conor McLeod, I think?), tossed a question Keller’s way about Marvel Rivals and whether it’s pushing Overwatch 2 to keep up. Keller sort of dodged and weaved, saying competition’s healthy and all but denied that Marvel Rivals forced their hand or whatever. They’ve been working on these features for over a year. Yeah, okay, sure.
Still, he did let slip that Rivals quickened the pace for them. Like, Hero Bans, for instance, came out faster ’cause, surprise, surprise, Rivals has them. But Keller’s like, “Nah, we always wanted to roll those out. It’s just fast-tracked now.”
Skeptical fans? Oh, they’re there, definitely raising eyebrows. The timing’s kinda eyebrow-raising, like hmm… did Marvel Rivals really give Overwatch 2 a run for its money? But nah, game dev takes ages, so maybe it’s true they were on this path already. Rivals might’ve shuffled things a tad, though, especially how soon we got some features.
Anyway, back to Keller—he dropped a hint, kind of a “wink-wink, nudge-nudge” deal about more big things coming for Overwatch 2. Think Season 18 and beyond, maybe? Something about getting the universe of Overwatch 2 to really pop. That’s kinda where he left it, teasing us with the potential for even bigger things. What can I say? It’s a wild ride, but hey, competition’s a blast, right?
