Overwatch 2 Welcomes Competition, Notes Game's Uniqueness

Marvel Rivals, since its unveiling, has drawn inevitable comparisons to Overwatch. Superficially, the similarities are striking: both are competitive multiplayer hero shooters, with Marvel Rivals substituting Marvel characters for Overwatch's roster. Shared mechanics and gameplay systems further reinforce this resemblance. Both are free-to-play, live-service titles reliant on new character additions to maintain player engagement.

Marvel Rivals' explosive popularity since its December launch has fueled speculation about a corresponding decline in Overwatch 2's player base. The narrative suggests NetEase's title is actively poaching players from Blizzard's.

In a recent GamesRadar interview, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller addressed this new competitive landscape, acknowledging the unprecedented challenge posed by a directly comparable game attracting tens of millions of players.

Overwatch 2's Response

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Keller described the situation as "exciting," even praising Marvel Rivals' innovative take on established Overwatch concepts. However, he conceded that Marvel Rivals' success has compelled a significant shift in Blizzard's approach to Overwatch 2, abandoning a "playing it safe" strategy.

Consequently, Blizzard has announced sweeping changes for Overwatch 2 in 2025. While the roadmap includes expected new content, core gameplay will undergo a major overhaul, introducing hero perks and the return of loot boxes.

The success of these changes remains to be seen. Almost nine years after Overwatch's 2016 debut and two and a half years since Overwatch 2's launch, Blizzard doesn't disclose player numbers, but Steam concurrent player counts are at an all-time low since its 2023 release, peaking at 37,046 in the last 24 hours.

In contrast, Marvel Rivals maintains a top 10 Steam position, with a 24-hour peak of 310,287 concurrent players.

Marvel Rivals Tier List: Best Heroes

Overwatch 2 currently holds a "mostly negative" Steam user review rating, even briefly achieving the dubious distinction of Steam's worst-reviewed game in August 2023. Criticism largely centers on monetization practices following the controversial transition from a premium model to a free-to-play sequel, rendering the original Overwatch unplayable. Further controversies, including the cancellation of the anticipated PvE Hero mode, fueled negative player sentiment.

IGN offers further coverage of Marvel Rivals, including developer statements on datamining and the potential for a Nintendo Switch 2 version.