Overwatch Dev Tracker

October 4th is on the horizon and the team has been hard at work preparing for the launch of Overwatch 2. For today’s update, let’s take some time to talk about Hero Balance for launch day, and break down our philosophy and approach to balancing the game with our new seasonal model for Overwatch 2.

Balancing with Seasonal Releases

Overwatch 2 brings with it a new 9-week Season cadence that will consistently introduce new maps, heroes, game modes, and more for players to experience. For heroes more specifically, our plan is to typically release a new hero every other season, which combined with our ongoing additions of new maps and game modes and our regular balance updates, should reward different strategies and playstyles, keeping the game fresh and dynamic for years to come.

Importantly, each season will also see impactful hero balance changes as the season begins to support our goals of constantly balancing the game and keeping the live service feeli...

She's been on all our minds since we teased her in the June reveal event, and now, she’s here. Kiriko Kamori is staged to join the support roster as Overwatch’s 35th hero, and we’re excited to share more about her personality, toolkit, and gameplay! 

Drawing on her Miko and Kunoichi training, Kiriko supports her team through gentle healing, deadly precision, and fluid mobility. The early idea for her kit was to create a dual damage/support hero with strong mobility and a high skill ceiling. Kiriko can be rewarding for high-skill players while also being a great healing option for beginning players.

Overwatch 2 releases October 4th and will usher in a new era for the game. The changes we’re making will support our goals to deliver more content to the game, more regularly, all while helping more players than ever before experience the Overwatch universe. 

Moving to free-to-play for Overwatch 2, together with enabling cross-platform with cross-progression, means anyone can access the game and join their friends, for free, which we are incredibly excited about. At the same time, we know this is a big transition that involves many changes. 

One of our goals is to make sure our game provides plenty of entertainment, fun, and expression, no matter how much you spend—even if you choose to spend nothing at all. When Overwatch 2 launches, we’ll be delivering more in one drop than we’ve delivered since the original game launched in 2016. This includes three new heroes, which will all be available immediately to returning Overwatch players who log in during Season One or...