Overwatch 2 has just revealed upcoming features for its new mode, Stadium, following a strong reception since its release last month.
The Overwatch 2 Stadium roadmap reveals upcoming characters, new modes and more coming to the arena mode.
Stadium is the latest mode added to the popular hero shooter, with a role-queue match-based system. Its highlight feature is the ability to augment and upgrade characters each round for powerful builds.
The roadmap was revealed following reports by Blizzard Entertainment sharing that Stadium had proven to be very popular. On top of the organisation’s rapid response to community feedback, it’s clear that Stadium was a success.
In the post online, Overwatch 2 noted that 7.8m hours and 2.3m matches were played during Stadium’s launch week. Moreover, Blizzard Entertainment revealed that in its first week, roughly 50% of all play hours in Overwatch 2 were from Stadium.
There’s a lot to unpack here, but the key highlights from the Overwatch 2 Stadium roadmap include:
- Freja is coming mid-Season 16.
- Junkrat, Sigma and Zenyatta in Season 17. Stadium added to Custom Games.
- Sojourn, Winston, and Brigitte in Season 18. New game mode – Payload Race.
- Season 19 and beyond will see Draft feature added, new heroes every season, and more.
The biggest takeaway here is the new mode teased, Payload Race. Not much was shared about how it works, but it will feature two brand-new maps when it launches sometime in Season 18.
For further details, fans can read the latest Director’s Take, the online blog post on Overwatch 2’s official website. The post highlighted the success of the new mode, while reassuring that the standard modes will not be neglected.
In the blog post Aaron Keller, Game Director for Overwatch 2 at Blizzard Entertainment, said: “I’d like to reiterate the team’s commitment to the other core modes of Overwatch.
“We’re still pouring as much time, energy and passion into these as we always have. Stadium isn’t competing for those resources: it’s giving us more opportunities to deliver Overwatch in a new, exciting way.”
So it appears that while Stadium is being built up over time, development won’t be slowing down for the core game modes. Given that Stadium does not have an esports scene, this should put to rest worries that its competitive mode will still gain attention, hopefully helping continue Overwatch’s esports growth.
