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Blizzard set to announce new "large feature" for Overwatch soon

It seems their original hero shooter is still getting some love

Overwatch 2 might be the more exciting name in recent headlines, but it seems Blizzard still have at least one big plan for their original hero shooter. Earlier this week, Overwatch developers answered questions about the series during a Q&A on Reddit. While there were plenty of lore queries I could go on about for hours, some more interesting titbits came out too. Game director Aaron Keller said a "large feature" for the first Overwatch would be announced "somewhere in the timeframe between soon and really soon".

I'm intrigued, especially seeing as Overwatch hasn't really had any changes or updates for the last year or so. Fans weren't really expecting anything big until Overwatch 2 came out either, but with no release date for the sequel on the horizon, it'll be nice to see the OG getting some love in the meantime.

So, what could it be? During the Overwatch 2 livestream last week, the devs revealed matches in the sequel would be 5v5, rather than 6v6, dropping a tank from each team. Perhaps Blizzard are whamming a 5v5 mode into the first game so players can try it out? Or maybe it's something a little broader; Overwatch still has no cross-platform progression or play, and with so many other shooters (Destiny 2, Apex Legends, Outriders, etc.) jumping on those features, it'd be good to see Overwatch join them.

This is all speculation mixed with a dash of wishful thinking, of course. I'd resigned myself to thinking OW1 was done with, so I'm just overexcited. But still, what big feature would you like to see in Overwatch, reader?

Cover image for YouTube videoOverwatch 2 Announce Cinematic : Zero Hour

Elsewhere in the Reddit Q&A, Keller confirmed the developers are working on a ping system for OW2. He said they're working on a prototype internally right now, though aren't ready to announce anything just yet. Personally, I'll be very glad to see a ping system. I find that after I've played a few Valorant matches before switching to OW to cool down, I constantly try to ping enemies. The button I have mapped for pinging just spams "thank you" in Overwatch though, which is certainly not the message I'm trying to send when I'm being assaulted by Genjis and Tracers.

Lead hero designer Geoff Goodman also touched on Bastion's rework, saying they're looking at changing his recon mode (his normal standing up mode) weapon. They also plan on changing his sentry mode (turret mode) a bit, and they're currently testing toning down his damage and letting him move slightly while in turret form.

Goodman discussed character balance with Overwatch 2 as well, considering the tank changes, while lead software engineer Bill Warnecke mentioned they're working on something "super cool" around Overwatch's Workshop, which is the tool that lets players make their own custom modes.

It'd be remiss of me not to at least mention one tiny lore thing, so the last good snippet I caught in the Q&A was character art director Arnold Tsang saying they're currently working on some lore for Reaper that he's "pretty excited about". Tell us more about the edgy ghost-man, Arnold.

If you want to know more about what's coming in Overwatch 2, do check out the stream from last week, which revealed new maps and showed a few matches with the new 5v5 team comp. Blizz have previously revealed some snazzy new looks for characters like McCree and Widowmaker, which are worth a peek at, too.

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In this article

Overwatch

PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch

Overwatch 2

PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch

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About the Author
Imogen Beckhelling avatar

Imogen Beckhelling

Former News Reporter

Imogen is a lore enthusiast and lover of all the fun shenanigans game communities get up to. She spends too much time playing Overwatch, and not enough time having interests that aren't to do with video games.

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