Overwatch 2 Director Comments on Marvel Rivals: “Not a Response to What You See”

Oh man, so Aaron Keller, the Overwatch 2 game director, had a few things to say about Marvel Rivals. Now, I don’t know if you’ve been following this, but that superhero shooter has definitely been nudging Overwatch 2 a bit. Healthy competition, as they say. But, apparently, none of the shiny new stuff Blizzard rolled out was a knee-jerk reaction to Marvel’s antics. They were already cooking up those ideas. Or so they claim.

When Marvel Rivals dropped on Dec 6, 2024, everyone was like, “Alright, Overwatch 2, whatcha got?” People noticed Marvel Rivals borrowed quite a bit from Overwatch. Like, not just tips and tricks but whole playbooks, you know? So Overwatch 2 was busy dropping new seasons and all — Perks, Stadium, Hero Bans, Map Voting — a whole lotta stuff.

Speaking of seasons, some developers and voice actors were chilling on Jay3’s stream, having a good time playing Stadium and chatting. Near the end, Conor McLeod, the voice actor for Hazard, threw Aaron Keller a curveball. Did Marvel Rivals give Overwatch 2 a run for its money? Keller’s answer was a twisty “no-yes.” He went on about how competition sharpens everyone’s game but brushed off claims that Overwatch 2 was reacting to Marvel’s moves. Apparently, all those new features were in Blizzard’s pipeline way before Marvel Rivals was causing a stir.

Anyway — or wait, was I getting ahead of myself? — back to Keller. He did admit Marvel Rivals sped up some things, like moving Hero Bans ahead by a season or two because, get this, Rivals had it for high-ranking matches. Convenient, right? Fans are divided. Some think the timing’s just too perfect to be coincidental, but the development takes time, people! Like making a stew, you can’t just whip it up in a few weeks.

Oh! And get this, Overwatch 2 isn’t slowing down either. Keller hinted at some juicy stuff coming in 2026. Bigger spectacles maybe? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. It’s like a never-ending game of leapfrog between these two giants.

But let’s be real, the rivalry is pushing both games to innovate. And yeah, maybe it’s not always the coziest ride for the developers, but hey, that’s how the cookie crumbles in the gaming world.