With Marvel Rivals carving out its space in the hero shooter market, it’s no surprise fans keep drawing comparisons to Overwatch 2, especially when features like 6v6 and third-person gameplay overlap. But according to Game Director Aaron Keller, these updates are anything but copycat moves.
In a chat with streamer Jay3 (reported by GamesRadar+), Keller addressed the talk head-on.
“I think that competition is healthy,” Keller said. “It does force people to innovate more and to always be putting your best foot forward, but I don’t think what you’re seeing in Overwatch 2 right now is a response to Marvel Rivals.”
Instead, he pointed out how much of Overwatch 2’s roadmap has been in the works for over a year:
“So much of what we were doing this year – from perks to stadium to map voting, we did full hero bans – so much of what we’re doing here and all the heroes we’re releasing has been in the works for over a year as part of a new strategy for the game to have a big annual kick off to the year.”
Hero Bans and the Stadium Mode
Keller isn’t the only dev pushing back on the copycat claims. Dylan Snyder (game designer) and Ryan Smith (lead level designer) confirmed that third-person gameplay, now featured in the new Stadium mode, has been baked into Overwatch 2 since the beginning:
“When we animate and when we do art and all that stuff, there’s a first-person version and a third-person version of stuff, and [it] has always been that way since day one,” Snyder said.
So, yes, the new Stadium mode that lets you play in third-person wasn’t inspired by Marvel Rivals. And neither were hero bans, which Keller confirmed are already a reality for the team.
The Big Picture
While Marvel Rivals generated plenty of hype and some envy, the Overwatch team insists they’re sticking to their plan, not reacting to someone else’s. Season 3 for Marvel Rivals just launched amid its own player complaints, so it’ll be interesting to see how these two shooters push each other forward.
For Overwatch 2 players, the takeaway is simple: the devs are listening, iterating, and focused on delivering the best version of their hero shooter: on their terms.