Blizzard Welcomes the Success of Marvel Rivals, According to Overwatch 2 Director

Aaron Keller, the Director of Overwatch 2, said that the success of Marvel Rivals put Blizzard in a situation where they can no longer play safe. According to him, they’ve never really dealt with a game that’s very similar to Overwatch and it has pushed them to be much more daring in their approach.

In an interview with GamesRadar, Keller revealed that the success of Marvel Rivals is amazing for the team. He mentions that Marvel Rivals has taken familiar ideas and pushed them in a different direction. However, this also means that the Overwatch team needs to keep up  due to how Marvel Rivals is currently dominating the hero shooter scene.

“There is pressure on the Overwatch team, and a lot of it is internal.” Keller added. He continued by saying that the pressure has made them start thinking about Overwatch 2 and how they could make it the best possible game that they could. However, he quickly pointed out that the big changes happening in Season 15 and 16 of Overwatch were already in the works even before Marvel Rivals was released.

Season 15 and 16 aims to shake Overwatch 2 fundamentally. The updates will introduce perks, stadium, and new heroes among other things. Perks is the biggest change to the game as it will allow players to change how their heroes function depending on the situation.

One perk they’ve shown in the trailer was Ana seemingly able to use her nano boost on herself and another allied player. Originally, Ana was only able to hit one teammate with her nanoboost, usually a Genji or a tank that’s about to die.

Overwatch 2 Season 15 comes out on February 18, 2025. With it comes the previously discussed Perk system, the return of the loot boxes, and new skins.