Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller says that the new rival (which he didn’t name, but it’s Marvel Rivals) is putting pressure on them to improve their game.

In an interview with GamesRadar, Keller admitted that the popularity of Marvel Rivals (which may have played a role in Overwatch 2’s steep decline in player numbers, as we reported) has jolted Blizzard out of its slumber of not having a major competitor, but now they have to get serious about it because it could eventually drive everyone away from their game:

“There’s pressure on the Overwatch team, and a lot of it is internal.It’s like, ‘How do we make the best possible game that we can? And we’ve felt that for a while.A lot of the things that we’re announcing for Season 15 and 16 (like perks and stadiums) are things that have been in development for Overwatch for a long time.And I think what’s driving that is when we look at our game, we feel like it’s either missing something or it hasn’t evolved as much as it should have. I look at what happens in a game of Overwatch, and a lot of times when you get enough hours in the game, it almost feels like you can go through the motions sometimes.What we want to be able to do is inject a little bit of freshness into the game, but not just for the sake of variety.We want to increase the depth of the game,” Keller said.

Keller added that he welcomes the arrival of Marvel Rivals because it means Blizzard can’t sit on its throne, but has to fight for the audience: “We’re obviously in a new competitive landscape that I think for Overwatch we’ve never really been in before, to the extent that there’s another game that’s so similar to what we’ve created. It’s actually kind of exciting for a couple of reasons.One of them is that it’s really great to see a game that’s kind of going in a different direction with some of the things that you’ve kind of looked at before.But also, we think it’s a push for our team – it’s no longer about playing it safe.And I really think in seasons 15 and 16 we are not playing it safe.But it’s really a forcing function to execute – and for a team of super passionate craftsmen, that’s like music to their ears,” the director said.

Finally, he also talked about how he understands why some people had negative thoughts about Overwatch 2, as the story-based co-op gameplay (promised during development) was canceled in order for Blizzard to focus on PvP gameplay: “I think there are a lot of people who have stuck with Overwatch over the years who have really noticed the care and attention that we’ve put into it since Overwatch 2 shipped.Especially over the course of the last year, we’ve really focused on leveling up the game.We want to increase the depth of the game. But on the other hand, I understand if people have that particular point of view. They thought the game was going to be something that it didn’t end up being. I understand the criticism, but from the team’s point of view, the only thing we can do now is make the best version of this game that we can,” the director said.

At least they’re not giving up.

Source: VGC