Overwatch experts warn Deadlock will “decimate” OW2 and steal its player base

Overwatch 2’s biggest supporters are sounding the alarm that Valve’s upcoming hero shooter Deadlock will hit the OW community “like an atomic bomb.”

Valve’s not-so-secret FPS MOBA Deadlock is being playtested on Steam and those who have got a chance to try it are already singing its praises.

While the game’s existence has been known for a while now with gameplay leaks surfacing in May, the test period has shown just how much of a threat it poses to Overwatch.

In a post on X, ZP, an Overwatch commentator who has been around since the early days of OW1, warned that Deadlock would steal a lot of the player base.

When ********* releases in full, it's going to hit OW like an atomic bomb.

Based on current player habits, I think not only will it decimate much of the current pro scene – but it's going to give the casual space a severe haircut on player count.

Way more than Valorant did.

— Andrew Rush (@TempoZP) August 15, 2024

“When [Deadlock] releases in full, it’s going to hit OW like an atomic bomb,” he said. “Based on current player habits, I think not only will it decimate much of the current pro scene – but it’s going to give the casual space a severe haircut on player count..”

He went on to predict that a whopping 80% of Overwatch’s content creators would jump to Valve’s title.

“Twitch for OW will become a graveyard for months, and may not truly recover on that front. Because a good portion of those people may be swapping permanently.”

Fellow Overwatch caster and former pro Reinforce also chimed in on X, calling Deadlock “the best game I’ve played since Overwatch’s release.”

Ex-Overwatch pro Taimou shared a similar sentiment, saying it’s “literally the best game I’ve played since 2016 Overwatch.”

In the replies, other OW stars like Crimzo and Apply concurred writing, “Yeah I can’t stop playin it,” and “itching for some ranked to climb the virtual ranks.”

This warning for Overwatch 2 comes as the game is experiencing an identity crisis over whether it should remain 5v5 or revert to 6v6 in the wake of player backlash over the sequel’s format.

Blizzard has announced experiments are in the works to try out 6v6 along with other types of queues to find the right fit. However, with new hero shooters like Marvel Rivals and Deadlock approaching, it may be an uphill battle to win back its core audience, especially if ZP’s predictions come true.