Vortex Gaming

Blizzard recently unveiled a roadmap outlining future changes and development plans for the Overwatch 2 Stadium mode, driven by positive player response.

Aaron Keller, Game Director of Overwatch 2, shared on the official Overwatch website blog that the Stadium mode, officially introduced with the recent Season 16, has been well-received by Overwatch players, spawning numerous creative builds.

According to Keller, Stadium was an idea conceived before the launch of Overwatch 2, and after much change and discussion, it was decided to head in the current direction, allowing for diversity in each match without making diversity the top priority. The development team aimed to strike a balance between strategic choices based on hero compositions and performance of all players in the match, while also achieving both balance and competitiveness.

Currently, the development team is preparing to adjust the balance of Stadium based on feedback and data collected since its release. Typically, playtime increases sharply at the start of a new event and then gradually decreases, but Stadium has shown a stable pattern, with 50% of the total Overwatch 2 playtime coming from Stadium in its first week.

Accordingly, the development team plans to collect data on builds and hero balance over the next few weeks to identify changes to be applied in the mid-season balance patch or even earlier.

In addition, new heroes, maps, game modes, systems, and various content will be added to Stadium through season updates. First, Freya, who recently joined Overwatch, will be added as the first new hero to Stadium in the Season 16 mid-season patch. Also, several new heroes will be added to Stadium every season.

A new game mode called 'Payload Race' will be introduced along with two maps. In addition, a new mechanism called 'Quests' internally will also be introduced. At the start of each match, players must choose one of the random quests, and rewards will be provided upon completion of the objective.

System-wise, a build import/export option will be introduced in Season 17. Players can pre-configure builds outside of Stadium matches and select them during the match, and even import popular builds created by the community will be possible.

Cross-play, which many players have requested, will also be introduced. Currently, Stadium is a mode with a competitive system, so party formation between PC and console players is not possible according to core competitive rules. However, since Competitive is the only way to enjoy Stadium mode, the development team agrees with the players' opinions and is looking for a solution, and is currently considering creating a casual version of Stadium. If this method becomes possible, players will be able to freely form parties with friends, as well as make other changes such as introducing a best-of-five format.

The development team emphasized that in addition to their efforts for Stadium, they are always doing their best by putting the same time, energy, and passion into the core Overwatch modes. Stadium is not a content that competes with existing modes for development resources, but a new attempt to enjoy Overwatch in a different and more fun way.

Detailed roadmap information related to Overwatch 2's Stadium can be found on the Overwatch 2 blog.

웹진 인벤김수진 기자
2025-05-02