Overwatch 2 devs admit they’re “worried” about new Clash game mode

The Overwatch 2 team is introducing yet another game mode later this year in the form of ‘Clash,’ but the devs are already concerned about a key part of how it’s played.

In Season 10, Overwatch 2 will be running a preview for the new Clash game mode and the Hanaoka map.

Hanaoka shares a lot in common with the now-removed Assault/2CP map, Hanamura, and according to Game Director Aaron Keller, the team is a bit worried about the Clash mode sharing characteristics of 2CP: coordination and teamwork.

Speaking with GameSpot, Keller explained that Clash is a symmetrical game mode with symmetrical maps where both teams fight over an objective as opposed to taking turns attacking and defending as they do in Hybrid or Escort.

“Clash is it has a little bit of inspiration from a mode that we had in the original Overwatch called Assault,” Keller noted. “The exciting thing about Clash is you have those moments where you’re just trying to break through and try to take the next point, but as opposed to Assault, it can go two directions.”

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While all this may sound good on paper, the amount of teamwork required could make the mode a bit of a pain in a solo queue experience. This was a fundamental flaw with 2CP, resulting in the mode being canned with the release of OW2, much to the delight of players.

“This game mode is really about momentum and how you come together as a team in order to stop the enemy team’s advance, then regroup and start pushing into enemy territory. It does require a lot of teamwork and a lot of coordination, and that’s the part of the mode that we’re a little bit worried about,” Keller admitted.

However, the devs are aware of this and want to use the Season 10 trial period to gather feedback and make the necessary changes before the mode enters the game’s quick play and ranked rotation.

Clash will be the third new core game mode exclusive to Overwatch 2 following the release of Push at launch and Flashpoint last year. With so many more modes and maps than the first game, Aaron Keller even suggested a potential pick-ban system could make its way to OW2 in the next significant gameplay update.