Oh hey, everyone! So, I’m just gonna dive in here and chat about Stadium. Seriously, the way you guys have been diving into it—playing it like crazy—just makes my day. The creativity has been off the charts. Honestly, not shocking. I knew you’d rock it.
Before we go off on future fun stuff and changes, let’s rewind a bit. Like, how did Stadium even pop into existence? Spoiler: it was way before Overwatch 2 even kicked off. A little backstory (because who doesn’t love that?), my kid actually whipped up the first pitch. Imagine a kid coming up with a game concept! Whenever I play, I’m kinda thinking about those early days and my son—sentimental, huh?
Okay, back to reality. Or well, the past reality? The first versions? They were kinda different. Stadium was this mix of randomness, like a tournament on energetic caffeine. Eight teams, random upgrades—chaotic, but not always in a good way. Felt like trying to catch a greased-up pig at times. Now, we’ve moved to something more coherent. It’s still about variety, but with balance. Strategy over randomness, ya know?
Fast forward to right now and Stadium’s got everyone hooked, which is pretty wild. We usually see a huge burst of players when something new drops, but this one’s sticking around. First week? Half of Overwatch 2 play hours were all about Stadium. Crazy, right? So, we’re digging through data, trying to figure out tweaks for that upcoming balance patch. Can’t spill all the beans yet, but stay tuned.
I guess I’m rambling a bit, but there’s so much behind the scenes. We did a Reddit AMA—no big deal, just answering a bunch of your burning questions. More insights are on the way in this Director’s Take thingy. Keep your eyes peeled for that.
Looking ahead, if you’re loving Stadium, good news: we’ve got plans. Big ones. Think new Heroes, maps, modes, you name it. Seasons keep things fresh. It’s like constantly renovating your favorite hangout.
Oh, and the roadmap—yeah, there’s this extensive plan laid out, showing where we’re heading. New Hero alert: Freja’s coming in hot with the Season 16 patch. Picture her shaking up the meta every time she strolls in. Each new hero kinda flips the script, so that’s always exciting.
Game Modes? Yep, more are coming too. Like “Payload Race”—sounds intense, right? Plus, two snazzy maps and quests that give out rewards for completing objectives. Keeps it spicy.
Systems-wise, we’re cooking up a fancy build importer/exporter. Season 17 will be fun for the planners out there; prep builds outside the game, bring them in. It’s like packing a lunch, but for battle strategies. Even better? Sharing builds with the community. Oh, and Cross-Play: you’ve been vocal, we’ve been listening. We’re exploring options for an unranked mode to mix things up across platforms and let friends team up. Could introduce some match tweaks like a best-of-5. Fingers crossed.
Before we wrap here, just want to shout out to the commitment the team’s putting into the core modes of Overwatch. Stadium isn’t gobbling resources; it’s more like expanding the universe. Season 18’s gonna be epic.
Can’t wait for you all to check out the new stuff—especially the bangers in Season 18! Dive into Stadium, have a blast, and let’s keep making Overwatch incredible together. 🕹️
