Hello everybody! We have beloved listening to your enthusiasm for Stadium and most of all, we have beloved watching you all play it. There’s already been a lot creativity with builds. Not that we have been shocked by that—we knew you wouldn’t disappoint!
Earlier than I get into present adjustments and future developments, I might like to offer slightly historical past of Stadium in hopes that it provides you with some context as to the place it’s headed. Plus, I just like the title “Previous, Current, and Future”!
Previous
Stadium emerged as an concept earlier than Overwatch 2 launched. The truth is, earlier than it was introduced to the workforce, one among my children created the primary pitch doc with a pattern degree and introduced it to me! Stadium has come a good distance since then, however I at all times consider my son when taking part in.
Early variations regarded slightly completely different from the mode you’re taking part in right this moment. Stadium was initially targeted on offering as a lot selection as potential. It was arrange as an eight-team match. Every spherical, gamers picked from random upgrades to make use of in fight phases of Workforce Deathmatch or versus AI, dropping well being in the event that they misplaced the spherical. But it surely was troublesome to create a coherent technique or builds to counter opponents when the choices have been made by random choice.
This modification into the format you see right this moment displays a shift in our considering: we nonetheless need there to be selection from match to match in Stadium, however selection is not the very best precedence. We would like you to really feel balanced and aggressive, whereas making epic builds by strategic selections based mostly on the efficiency and Hero compositions of everybody within the match.
Current
Talking of holding issues balanced and aggressive, the workforce is already planning tweaks based mostly on the suggestions and knowledge we’ve acquired since launch.
Whereas we regularly see a giant spike in play time shortly after a shiny new occasion launches, play time in Stadium has been a bit stickier. In its first week, roughly 50% of all play hours in Overwatch 2 have been dedicated to Stadium!
Relating to builds and Hero stability, we’ll be amassing knowledge over the following few weeks to see what adjustments should be made for the midseason stability patch, if not earlier.
There are numerous gears turning behind the scenes in the case of Stadium. The event workforce answered a few of your burning questions in a Reddit AMA earlier this week and we’ll be sharing extra insights and Stadium knowledge in a particular Director’s Take subsequent week!
Future
For those who like taking part in Stadium, you will be pleased to know that now we have lots of large plans for it. There shall be seasonal updates to Stadium which is able to embody the discharge of latest Heroes, maps, sport modes, methods and options, in addition to the same old care we put into different modes of Overwatch.
What’s coming to Stadium over the following two seasons? So much!
The workforce simply put out an in depth roadmap for Stadium that exhibits extra of our future plans for the mode.
Heroes: Our latest addition to the Overwatch roster will even be the primary new Hero added Freja is headed to Stadium and she or he’ll arrive with the Season 16 midseason patch. However she’s not the one Hero on the way in which! We’ll have new Heroes added each Season, since we expect including new heroes is critically necessary for Stadium. Every time we have launched a brand new addition internally, they’ve completely shifted the meta and the way in which we thought of placing collectively a construct.
Sport Modes: We’re planning on releasing a brand new sport mode inside Stadium named Payload Race and two brand-new maps will launch with it. On high of that, we’ll be integrating a brand new mechanic that we’ve been calling “Quests” internally. At the beginning of every match, gamers will choose from a random set of quests that may dole out rewards as soon as aims are accomplished.
Techniques: Whereas we’re actually excited for brand new content material in Stadium, we expect methods that affect the way in which you place a construct collectively can have a fair better impression. In Season 17, we’ll be releasing a construct importer and exporter. This won’t solely enable gamers to place collectively builds exterior of a Stadium match after which choose them inside a match, it should additionally enable gamers to pick out from group builds as properly.
You’ve additionally made your voices heard on a subject that’s essential to all of us: Cross-Play! Since Stadium has a aggressive system, it follows the principles of our core aggressive mode, which doesn’t enable PC and Console gamers to group. Since that is the one option to play the mode, we agree, and we’d love to do one thing about it. We’re presently investigating what it might take to make an unranked model of the mode. This could enable teams of associates to play collectively and would give us the flexibility to make different adjustments as properly, presumably introducing a best-of-5 format to the mode.
Earlier than signing off, I might wish to reiterate the workforce’s dedication to the opposite core modes of Overwatch. We’re nonetheless pouring as a lot time, power and keenness into these as we at all times have. Stadium is not competing for these sources: it’s giving us extra alternatives to ship Overwatch in a brand new, thrilling approach.
We won’t wait so that you can see what’s coming there, particularly Season 18. It’ll be a banger! Have enjoyable with Stadium and, as at all times, let’s make an awesome sport.
