Hello everybody! We have liked listening to your enthusiasm for Stadium and most of all, we have liked watching you all play it. There’s already been a lot creativity with builds. Not that we had been stunned by that—we knew you wouldn’t disappoint!
Earlier than I get into present modifications and future developments, I might like to provide just a little 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 thought earlier than Overwatch 2 launched. In actual fact, earlier than it was offered to the group, one in every of my youngsters created the primary pitch doc with a pattern degree and offered it to me! Stadium has come a great distance since then, however I at all times consider my son when taking part in.
Early variations seemed just a little totally different from the mode you’re taking part in in the present day. Stadium was initially centered on offering as a lot selection as potential. It was arrange as an eight-team event. Every spherical, gamers picked from random upgrades to make use of in fight phases of Group Deathmatch or versus AI, shedding well being in the event that they misplaced the spherical. Nevertheless it was troublesome to create a coherent technique or builds to counter opponents when the selections had been made by means of random choice.
This alteration into the format you see in the present day displays a shift in our pondering: we nonetheless need there to be selection from match to match in Stadium, however selection is not the best precedence. We would like you to really feel balanced and aggressive, whereas making epic builds by means of strategic selections based mostly on the efficiency and Hero compositions of everybody within the match.
Current
Talking of holding issues balanced and aggressive, the group is already planning tweaks based mostly on the suggestions and knowledge we’ve obtained 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 had been dedicated to Stadium!
In the case of builds and Hero steadiness, we’ll be gathering knowledge over the subsequent few weeks to see what modifications have to be made for the midseason steadiness patch, if not earlier.
There are lots of gears turning behind the scenes in the case of Stadium. The event group 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
Should you like taking part in Stadium, you may be completely happy to know that now we have a whole lot of massive plans for it. There will probably be seasonal updates to Stadium which is able to embody the discharge of latest Heroes, maps, sport modes, programs and options, in addition to the same old care we put into different modes of Overwatch.
What’s coming to Stadium over the subsequent two seasons? Rather a lot!
The group simply put out an in depth roadmap for Stadium that reveals extra of our future plans for the mode.
Heroes: Our latest addition to the Overwatch roster may even be the primary new Hero added Freja is headed to Stadium and he or she’ll arrive with the Season 16 midseason patch. However she’s not the one Hero on the best way! We’ll have new Heroes added each Season, since we expect including new heroes is critically vital for Stadium. Every time we have launched a brand new addition internally, they’ve completely shifted the meta and the best way we thought of placing collectively a construct.
Recreation 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 targets are accomplished.
Techniques: Whereas we’re actually excited for brand spanking new content material in Stadium, we expect programs that affect the best way you place a construct collectively can have an excellent higher impression. In Season 17, we’ll be releasing a construct importer and exporter. This is not going to solely enable gamers to place collectively builds exterior of a Stadium match after which choose them inside a match, it would additionally enable gamers to pick out from group builds as nicely.
You’ve additionally made your voices heard on a subject that’s crucial 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 strategy to play the mode, we agree, and we’d love to do one thing about it. We’re at present investigating what it might take to make an unranked model of the mode. This may enable teams of mates to play collectively and would give us the power to make different modifications as nicely, probably introducing a best-of-5 format to the mode.
Earlier than signing off, I might wish to reiterate the group’s dedication to the opposite core modes of Overwatch. We’re nonetheless pouring as a lot time, vitality and keenness into these as we at all times have. Stadium is not competing for these assets: it’s giving us extra alternatives to ship Overwatch in a brand new, thrilling means.
We will not wait so that you can see what’s coming there, particularly Season 18. It may be a banger! Have enjoyable with Stadium and, as at all times, let’s make an ideal sport.
