Among all the changes in the switch from Overwatch to Overwatch 2, the biggest – and most controversial – was the move from 6v6 to 5v5 matches. Earlier this year, Blizzard indicated that a return to 6v6 wasn’t entirely off the table, and now the devs are laying out some concrete plans toward deciding what that return might look like.
Season 14 will see the launch of two different 6v6 test modes. A week into the season, Blizzard is launching what it calls “Min 1, Max 3,” where each team must have at least one, but no more than three of a given role type. The idea here is to experiment with a format that finds a “middle ground” between role queue and open queue. A more traditional 2-2-2 test will take place during “Season 14 midcycle.”
These tests will have some unique balance changes, as the devs explain in the announcement blog. “The power and survivability of tanks will go down in these 6v6 formats, and we’ll be taking a look at whether we need many of the passives that we’ve added in Overwatch 2.”
Ahead of those tests, Season 13 will see some experiments with the current 5v5 format. “We’re planning a Quick Play: Hacked coming soon, which we are calling ‘Limit 2.’ This will be 5v5, with the maximum number of each role limited to two. This includes Tanks, but they will be tuned to Open Queue balance, meaning they will have less health. You can freely switch heroes and roles as long as the new role doesn’t already have two players.” The midcycle experiment will bring another variation of Limit 2 called Kingmaker which sees the player in the solo role getting a bonus.
“In the world where a surge of players join this mode and continuously play it, then we have the signal we need to do more with it,” the blog notes. “I think what that “more’ is depends on the level of excitement. Is there a world where both 5v5 and 6v6 exist permanently in Overwatch 2? If you had asked me a few months ago, I would have said no. As we’ve discussed Overwatch 2’s future in light of making the game that our players want to play, we know our players can want more than one experience, and it would be something we’d need to consider moving forward.”
So far, the response to the potential of these experiments has been cautiously optimistic. The switch to 5v5 remains controversial even now, two years after Overwatch 2’s early access launch and a year after its proper release, particularly given just how powerful tanks have had to become in the current meta. Will any of these modes fix the issue? That remains to be seen, but at a minimum the experiments are opening the door to the best of both worlds.
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