Overwatch 2’s devs are clearly scared of Marvel Rivals – and that’s a good thing

Marvel Rivals is siphoning a good amount of Overwatch 2 players, which has the devs clearly scared and fighting to win them back.

The release of Marvel Rivals on December 6 was expected to become a decent competitor for Overwatch 2, despite the many games vying for the title of “Overwatch killer.” Up until Marvel Rivals, no hero shooter game could stand up to Overwatch’s longevity.

However, the impact of Marvel Rivals on Overwatch 2 has been meteoric. Social media is ablaze for Marvel Rivals despite Overwatch 2’s reintroduction of 6v6, popular Overwatch streamers have flocked to Marvel Rivals for content, and Overwatch 2 just hit a low point for concurrent players on Steam.

So now that there’s finally competition — strong competition — for the genre, the Overwatch devs will have to start doing some radical things to keep their player base alive. But they’re on the right track.

How Overwatch 2 is trying to win players back from Marvel Rivals

Activision Blizzard

It’s not a huge surprise that Overwatch 2 has lost players to Marvel Rivals. The new shiny hero shooter scratches the itch that no game other than Overwatch was able to, and OW2 players are fed up with the tired 5v5 counterswap meta. 

The switch to a free-to-play model has also dramatically reduced the amount of cosmetics players could earn, as even those who bought the once full-priced games were gatekept from skins only obtainable through premium currencies and battle passes.

In an attempt to win some players back as the Marvel Rivals hype continues, recent announcements have revealed eight free skins players can earn throughout the holidays. This is a pretty big step up from the single free skin on offer in 2023’s holiday event.

There’s a clear and very stark difference in how much the devs are willing to offer in order to keep players interested, one that can be linked directly with the launch of Marvel Rivals and the decline of Overwatch’s playerbase.

One major free cosmetic is a Katara Mei skin for the Avatar: The Last Airbender collaboration. Overwatch 2 will also give away three free Legendary-tier skins through the annual Winter Wonderland event. Other skins will be available through Twitch drops and free battle pass progression.

It’s also likely Overwatch 2 is priming for an official switch to 6v6 to win over some players again. Reception for Overwatch 2’s initial 6v6 playtest has been mostly positive, and another playtest is slated for January 21, 2025 to try out another 6v6 format. 

The Overwatch 2 devs now have a real challenger, a game that didn’t set out to just be an “Overwatch killer”, but something that could stand on its own merit. If Blizzard’s flagship hero shooter survives against Marvel Rivals, it’ll come out a much better game than it was before.