Overwatch 2 Director Comments on Marvel Rivals: ‘What You’re Seeing Isn’t a Response’

Alright, so here’s the scoop—Aaron Keller, the dude running the show for Overwatch 2, recently tossed it out there that while Marvel Rivals is definitely keeping them on their toes, none of the flashy new stuff they’ve pumped out is because of it. Like, it’s not like Blizzard is scrambling to keep up or anything. Sure, that game’s a bit of a firecracker, but it’s not why Overwatch 2 is doing what it’s doing.

So, picture this: Marvel Rivals dropped on December 6, 2024, guns blazing. Naturally, everyone started gawking at Overwatch 2, wondering what they’d do next. NetEase just straight up snatched some plays from Blizzard’s playbook, which meant Marvel Rivals did some things Overwatch 2 kind of flounders at. Then, bam! Overwatch 2 dropped some killer seasons—Perks, Stadiums, Hero Bans, Map Voting, the whole shebang.

Now, here’s something I caught. During a stream on Jay3’s channel, where devs and voice actors were just chilling and playing, someone popped the question: Did Marvel Rivals shove Overwatch into the spotlight? Keller kinda went “nah, but maybe?” Typical. He goes on about how competition is all fine and dandy, makes you hustle better. But no, it wasn’t Marvel Rivals making them toss out updates. Turns out, plans like Perks and Stadium had been brewing for over a year.

But then there’s this twist. Among the group chat, someone goes, “Ya sure about that, Keller?” because come on, let’s face it, the timing’s kinda juicy. Hero Bans being bumped up? Conveniently after Marvel Rivals did it. But hey, according to Keller, those had already been on the drawing board, just maybe got a little nudge timing-wise.

Oh, and some people aren’t buying it. High-ranking folks are just throwing shade, saying Overwatch’s timing is fishy. But, you know, game dev cycles are like eternal; they can’t whip up complex systems overnight. Fine, maybe Marvel Rivals shuffled the calendar a bit, but it didn’t birth these ideas out of the void.

Anyway, whether or not Overwatch 2 concocted everything in a panic sprint, one thing’s clear—having Marvel Rivals up the ante has been like rocket fuel for them both. Keller even admitted that it’s a bit of a hot seat, but in a good way. Who doesn’t like a bit of a kick in the pants to keep things spicy, right?

Bottom line, Overwatch 2 is lining up some meaty stuff soon—like catapulting from Season 18 to some mystery extravaganza. Keller was playing coy, all “stay tuned!” vibes. Who knows, maybe they’ll throw us something mind-blowing soon. Guess we’ll see.