Overwatch 2 is slated to release sometime next year, and while the loyal fanbase has been anxiously anticipating it’s release, many more casual fans have moved on from the franchise to “greener pastures”. The series is currently plagued by stale content, the Blizzard Controversy, and a melancholy fan base ready for something new. Check any forum, subreddit, or discord dedicated to the game and you will find plenty of players who want something new or are already moving on. So what can blizzard do to turn this tide? Well as a career high 2400 player I’m gonna give my insight on what could be positive changes for the casual player base like myself.
Make individual players feel like they can make an impact in Overwatch 2
One of the most difficult parts about playing overwatch is solo queuing or playing with a team that is not working together. You can often feel like the only way to turn the tide is to play at near perfect levels. Now I am fully aware that good players climb, and that’s always been the case, but if you’ve ever been stuck in low elo hell, you’ll know what I mean. I think it’s hard as a beginner to really feel like you can change the tide of battle as an individual, where as when you have a team or a group to play with it often feels much more rewarding and easier to win. The only problem is that not everyone has the opportunity to get a friend the play consistently at the same time, let alone 5.
Find a legitimate way to cut down on toxicity
If there is one thing that can make a player not want to come back to a game, especially a competitive one, it’s a toxic community. I have played my fair share of competitive fps and my personal experience is that OW might be one the most toxic. I’m not sure what drives players to act the way they do but it can be very discouraging for new players to try and improve when they feel like they’re always going to be criticized by their teammates. So whether this is a hard coded solution or just a change of the environment of the community, I think solving this problem would help tremendously.
An In game Tournament Feature
I just got done saying how hard it can be for people to find a group of 6 to play with but, in the times that you can, there would be nothing more satisfying than being able squad up with your buddies and compete in a tournament against other full squads. This would allow a lot of things but mainly it would give players a chance to compete against teams of a wide range of skill as well as the opportunity to more effectively develop as a player.
New Heroes
I know this gets said all the time but Overwatch 2 should ideally launch with 5 – 10 new characters. I highly doubt this will happen but I’m hoping for the opposite. Overwatch needs new content to survive and I think the thing lacking most is variety in the tank/support roles. Currently there are 8 tanks, 7 supports, and 17 DPS heroes. While DPs is the most popular category, I feel most of that comes from the fact that many tanks and supports feel lack luster or unrewarding to play. I personally have tons of fun playing characters like Ana, Baptiste, Zarya, and Winston but I hate playing most other supports and tanks. I also hate waiting for games so there are many times where I feel required to play a tank or support that I don’t want to play to better mesh with the team comp we have.
More Hero Adaptability
I know part of the appeal of Overwatch is the team synergy, and at high levels this makes so much sense, but at lower levels it can be really disheartening wanting to play the only hero you main and to get rolled because your team comp just isn’t working. I don’t know what the solution for this problem is but at lower levels this would really help new players get into the game and stay invested.
Ping System
This one may be the most controversial of any of my thoughts but I genuinely think a simple ping system (like in the new Halo Infinite) would work wonders for the game. People who may not feel comfortable joining team chat (especially due to the aforementioned toxicity) would still have the ability to communicate with their team on enemy location and other pieces of information. A better community environment means a better likelihood to have long time fans and players.
Lastly, Deal With The Drama
Probably the biggest issue that Blizzard are facing is that the company currently has a tainted image and I think the only way to deal with this is to cut ties with any and all employees/owners/managers who may be involved with the allegations. I think Bobby Kotick is the most obvious elephantin the room and one that Blizzard needs to address. You cant have a CEO with these kind of allegations, Blizzard needs to wipe the slate clean and do their best to rebuild their image in wake of the current events.
Whether or not you agree with my points I hope this was informative or entertaining for you! Be sure to check my other posts and hope to see you next time!
