Highlights
- Overwatch 2 is releasing a lot of new content, including a new support hero and PvE missions.
- The focus on the new game modes could potentially outweigh the attention given to the pre-existing and upcoming maps, which could negatively impact the balance between the two.
- The Flashpoint game mode in Overwatch 2 is experimental and may not fit well with the game's style, potentially favoring dive or rush team compositions and feeling more like a free-for-all deathmatch. More maps are needed to avoid repetition, as seen in the Push mode.
The launch of Season 6 is a big day for the Overwatch 2 community as Blizzard is releasing some of the most content it ever has since the game launched in October. With the excitement of Overwatch 2's latest support hero and PvE missions debuting, there is a lot of new content to absorb and experience. Unfortunately, there could be a potential downside to Blizzard focusing on its latest game modes rather than on its pre-existing and upcoming maps. If it isn't careful, the balance between the two could tip drastically in favor of one side.
Since it was announced that the original promised missions for Overwatch 2 would not be coming to fruition, there has been a good deal of controversy brewing within the community. After all, this was said to be the reason production on Overwatch prime was halted in the first place. However, it seems that the franchise may be banking heavily on the features of Season 6 to reignite the passion within its player base.
Overwatch 2 Needs To Fortify Its Existing Content Before Anything Else
The Overwatch 2 Flashpoint game mode was highly anticipated when it was announced in June, though some were skeptical about how this type of game mode would feel in the hero shooter. Games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Destiny 2 have similar concepts that are heavily centered around positioning. The modes often end up feeling a bit more like a free for all deathmatch than anything else, which may see Flashpoint becoming a less team-oriented mode than others.
Jared Neuss, the Executive Producer for Overwatch 2, mentioned during a live stream with Emongg that Flashpoint is in an experimental phase, commenting that "it's a brand-new mode, and we haven't played it in scale with millions of people." Some are theorizing that Overwatch 2 dive or rush team comps will thrive in this environment, while others think that brawling may be favorable due to how small the points appear to be. For some, it's exciting to be playing a new mode, but on a large scale, it may not fit well with Overwatch 2's style.
Flashpoint also needs to avoid a mistake that was made by Push mode if it wants to be received well. At the moment, only three maps are available on Push: New Queens Street, Colosseo, and Esperanca. While there is an ongoing debate about whether Push is a balanced game mode, it should have more variety to avoid repetition. Esperanca was the final map to be added to Push in October 2022, and ten months later there hasn't been any mention of a new Push map in the works.
Flashpoint is starting off with two locations of its own, New Junk City and Suravasa, but there's no telling if anything else is coming yet. Perhaps this will be decided if the game mode does well enough to expand to competitive play as it will be starting off in Arcade and Unranked. The problem here is that Blizzard should be focusing its attention on creating new maps for the modes it already has, rather than churning out more game modes.
Of course, on the other hand, Overwatch 2 has been criticized in the past for not featuring a wide variety of game modes. Blizzard should certainly continue to look into new modes, but not at the cost of pre-existing ones. There needs to be a watchful eye on the two, and hopefully more maps will debut to balance the scale once more after Season 6.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
