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As the biggest hero shooter right now, Marvel Rivals has kicked Overwatch to the curb. With new competition, the team behind Blizzard’s genre-defining shooter have been refreshed as NetEase’s new superhero game lights a fire beneath the studio.
Speaking to GamesRadar, Overwatch game director Aaron Keller explained that Blizzard is now in a “new competitive landscape” with the arrival of Marvel Rivals. With tens of millions of players enjoying the popular free-to-play game, Overwatch now needs to rapidly improve to keep its own fanbase.
Marvel Rivals lights a fire under Overwatch
Talking to the outlet, Keller explained that the current landscape has pushed the Overwatch team to work harder than ever before. After years of slow updates and stagnant gameplay, the team behind the project is working at full speed on long-awaited improvements.
“We’re obviously in a new competitive landscape that I think, for Overwatch, we’ve never really been in before, to this extent where there’s another game that’s so similar to the one that we’ve created,” Keller said.
Keller explained that the massive popularity of Marvel Rivals is “really great” and “exciting” for the team as it allows them to stop “playing it safe” with new updates. Now, there’s an urgency to improve and keep Overwatch alive.
“There’s actually something kind of exciting about this, for a few reasons.” Keller explained. “[Marvel Rivals is] forcing function to our team – this is no longer about playing it safe.”
In the interview, Keller claimed that there is now a lot of “pressure on the Overwatch team”, but that “a lot of it is internal”. With the next season bringing upgradable perks, a third-person mode, the return of lootboxes and a lot more, it’s very obvious that Blizzard is cooking huge overhauls of the game in response to the success of Marvel Rivals.
For Marvel Rivals, developer NetEase Games is bringing a new hero to the game every month and a half. With The Thing and Human Torch coming to the game very soon, as well as new maps, events and more, the new superhero game is continuing to go hard on new content.
About the Author
Overwatch
- Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Genre(s): Action, Casual, First Person, Massively Multiplayer, Shooter
