Overwatch devs reveal how new core game modes will “evolve” OW2
Blizzard EntertainmentThe next Overwatch 2 game mode, Flashpoint, will be arriving in Season 6, but the devs seem to already have plans for other modes in the near future.
When the first Overwatch launched, it had just four modes, one of which, the ever-controversial 2CP, was removed for the sequel to introduce Push.
Flashpoint will be the first-ever new core competitive game mode to enter Overwatch post-release, introducing unique two maps each with five special objectives: Suravasa and New Junk City.
While Flashpoint is a hybrid of sorts between 2CP and KOTH, the OW2 team teased modes to come and how they will create new experiences for players.
Overwatch 2 devs want players to have “different” experiences
During the Flashpoint reveal stream, Game Director Aaron Keller explained how the team recognizes adding new game modes in Overwatch is “cool” and an integral part of a live service.
“When you think about how players experience our game… all of our maps are built for very special game modes and when you have that kind of restraint on you, when you develop a new payload map for example, there’s only going to be a certain amount of things that you do in a map like that,” he said.
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The developer went on to state how payload maps have a set number of chokepoints, sections, and runback times and how in order for players to have new experiences, new game modes are required.
According to Keller, the intention of new game modes like Flashpoint and its maps is the start of “evolving” Overwatch into the future.
“These are the sorts of things we would like to continue to do for the game,” he added. “When you start looking at what our game can be years down the line as we’re releasing new things like hero missions, new heroes, new game modes, new maps, in three or five years in the future, Overwatch is a much bigger, much more expansive and much more evolved experience.”
We’ll have to see how Flashpoint is received by the Overwatch fanbase in the months ahead, but it’s clear that the devs have quite a lot of content planned for the future as the game continues to grow.