Blizzard has announced that Overwatch 2’s highly anticipated Stadium mode will launch next week, bringing a new type of gameplay experience to the popular hero shooter. Stadium is designed as a permanent core experience, featuring best-of-seven series with condensed matches, post-round buy phases for items and abilities, and third-person play options.
However, when it launches on April 22, Stadium will only feature 17 heroes from the game’s main roster, including iconic characters like Mercy, D.Va, and Genji. Blizzard has explained that the initial hero selection was based on the team’s desire to create unique builds for each character, as well as ease of onboarding for new players.
Game director Aaron Keller stated that the team chose heroes with instant ideas for transformative builds, and avoided heavy movement ability characters due to amplified mobility in Stadium. Tracer, a fan favorite, is currently not part of the launch lineup but will be added later, according to Keller.
Senior game designer Dylan Snyder noted that certain heroes, such as Widowmaker and Hanzo, are challenging to balance due to Stadium’s more compact and frantic nature, making ranged or burst damage heroes less suitable for the mode. The team is working to innovate and find ways to make these characters fit in Stadium, but time constraints mean some heroes won’t be included at launch.
Lead level designer Ryan Smith highlighted that Blizzard will continue to add new heroes, maps, and game modes with each Overwatch 2 season, expanding the initial squad of 17. Fans can look forward to more content being added over time, as long-term promises from the development team remain unchanged.
Source: https://www.pcgamesn.com/overwatch-2/stadium-hero-pool