Earlier this year, Overwatch dropped the 2 from its title, re-focused on an overarching narrative, and launched five new heroes all at once (10 total in 2026), signifying a big swing for the decade-old competitive FPS.

This followed 2025’s large-scale update that added things like Perks and Stadium mode, and is quickly becoming a pattern of things to come: a big update at the beginning of every year to keep things fresh and reinvigorate the community. And according to OW devs I spoke to in a recent group interview, it’s worked and will continue.

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

“I think our launch this year was huge for Overwatch ,” game director Aaron Keller said . “If you look at the trajectory that we’ve had over the past few years, you can really see players getting excited for the game.…