Overwatch 2 Reveals New PvP Details

Since the reveal of Overwatch 2, Blizzard has spent a lot of time talking about and showing the sequel's PvE content. The problem with that is it's not what Overwatch fans are looking for. Overwatch is a PvP game, and the reason a sequel is in development is because of how popular this PvP content is. That said, in a recent interview, the sequel's newly-appointed creative director Aaron Keller -- who stepped into the role after Jeff Kaplan left the sequel and Blizzard behind last month -- calmed the concerns of Overwatch fans, noting that PvP is a big focus for the sequel. He then followed this up with some light details on what players can expect from this part of the game.

"I think for me, Overwatch 2… there are two halves to it, and I know we've spent a lot of time talking about what the PvE side of the game is with our hero missions and our campaign and the progression system that drives all of it. But the other side of the game is just as important, if not more important, and that's the PvP side of the game," said Keller while speaking to GameSpot. "We have 60 million players that love that side of the game and are attached to that side of the game. We know, going forward, we have to make the next best version of a team-based shooter. So to me, yes there is this PvE side of Overwatch 2 but I am very focused on the PvP side of the game and I want to make that as compelling as we possibly can."

Speaking about the PvP, Keller notes he wants it to be both more accessible to a wider range of players, but also more competitive, which of course is the perfect balance all competitive multiplayer game developers want to strike, and it's a balance not often achieved, especially by hero-shooters.

That said, while it remains to be seen if Blizzard will strike this balance, we know it's determined to ensure that even if it doesn't, the game will give players plenty of reasons to keep coming back, long after launch, which is something Overwatch has greatly struggled with. While Keller isn't ready to commit to Battle Passes, he does note in the same interview that the post-launch support for the sequel will be different than the first game, and hopefully improved.

"I can't really speak to exactly what will be in there, whether this game is going to have a battle pass or not, but I think I can talk to our values a little bit because when we design anything at Blizzard we like to set up the values for it, the pillars for it, and then everything kind of derives from those particular values," said Keller. "The values for Overwatch 2 are that we want the game to feel like it has a constant heartbeat, that there are a lot of updates to the game, and that the community knows that it's kind of our first priority moving forward. It's hard for me to say, every live game is a little different. Whether the value is a live service value… I think our value is to put as much time and resources as we can into updating the live game and to making it always feel new and fresh and substantial."

For now, Blizzard isn't ready to talk about what all of this will look like, but Keller notes it won't be too far away from the post-launch support of the first game. In other words, expect plenty of new maps and heroes added after release.

For more coverage on Overwatch 2 -- including all of the latest news, rumors, leaks, and speculation-- click here.