Overwatch 2 dev details Season 9’s “Rank Reset” and MMR changes

An Overwatch 2 has spilled details on the long-awaited rank reset coming in Season 9 and what it will mean for players’ MMR.

Season 9 of Overwatch 2 will be one of the biggest updates in the game’s history. From core mechanics such as projectile size and health pools to even a Pharah rework, there are a bunch of changes en route.

One huge feature on the way is the revamped Competitive mode that will also introduce a rank reset, meaning players will be in a better position than ever to reach higher ranks.

In a thread on X, Server Engineer Morgan Maddren explained how the rank reset will actually work and how it will affect MMR as well.

Overwatch 2 dev reveals big “rank reset” details

According to Madden, the ranked reset will be “softer” than some might be hoping for with players’ MMR starting out lower than past seasons.

“The higher your MMR, the further down you will start,” he explained, adding in a reply that this will be relative to where you began. “If you’re in GM1 today, expect a climb.”

He further noted that placement matches will carry a lot of weight with games following placement matches also counting a bit more as players get recalibrated.

Furthermore, one’s MMR and their rank are going to be much more closely tied together with one’s rank being “purely a visual representation of MMR.”

As for why there’s a rank reset to begin with, Maddern says it all comes down to OW2’s new elite rank, Champion, which is even more prestigious than Grandmaster.

“With the addition of Champion we wanted to also rebalance the distribution of the rest of the rank,” he said. “It’s also supposed to be fun. With all the other changes we felt it was a good time to try to give players a bit of a shakeup and something to strive towards.”

We’ll have to see just how this all plays out once Season 9 of Overwatch 2 kicks off next week on February 13.