Developer Update | Hero Releases, Mythics, and More

-[crew member 1] Oh, wait! Wait a second! -[chuckles]

-[crew member 1] Beautiful. -Looks good.

I'm getting excited. Good?

-[crew member 1] Good. -Yeah? Ready for this.

-Can I just go? Oh. -[crew member 2] Quiet on set.

Take one.

[crew member 1] Action.

Hello, everyone.

This is Aaron from the Overwatch Team,

and welcome

to our first Developer Update of 2024.

We have some news that we're excited to share with all of you.

Today, I'm going to talk to you about how we release heroes,

a new way of unlocking Mythic skins,

as well as some gameplay updates.

So, let's start with heroes.

Last year, at BlizzCon, we gave you a look at our next hero,

Venture.

They're an eccentric and daring adventurer

with a unique kit that includes the ability to dig underground.

We can't wait for them to join the lineup in Season 10,

and we want all of you to have the opportunity to play Venture

as soon as they are released.

Heroes are one of the most exciting additions to the game,

and we want all of our players to have immediate access to them when they launch.

Which is why I'm thrilled to share that Venture and all future heroes

will be free for all players when they launch.

Starting with Venture,

heroes will no longer be unlocked through the Battle Pass.

This includes all previous Overwatch 2 heroes.

In addition to this,

we're introducing a new way to unlock Mythic skins in Overwatch.

We'd like to give everyone more choice in how they unlock

and upgrade Mythic skins.

Our goal is to give you more power

over which Mythic skin you would like to work towards.

And starting in Season 10,

we will debut our Mythic Shop.

This will enable you to acquire Mythic skins

from previous seasons you may have missed.

So, if you've been eyeing that Cyber Demon Genji skin,

this is your chance to get it.

We'll have more details to share about the Mythic Shop

and how it works

as we get a little closer to Season 10.

Alongside these changes, we will also continue to evolve

and add to the core of the game to keep things fresh.

The changes we made to our Competitive system

and some of the core mechanics of Overwatch combat in Season 9

are all great examples of this,

and it's something we want to continue doing.

Part of our vision for these big updates to Competitive

is to give the game a regular heartbeat.

Newer, updated systems,

shaking up PvP,

rank resets, and new rewards

are all examples of the sorts of updates we'd like to continue doing.

How often this happens is something that we're still looking at,

as well as listening to all of you about.

Additionally,

we've already made several sets of balance changes in Season 9,

and are committed to continuing to make the game as fair,

fun, and competitive as we can.

Let's talk about maps.

We're going to be releasing several maps in the next few seasons.

We have a new Push map, Runasapi, coming in Season 11.

Runasapi is set in Peru,

and it gives players a glimpse at the Solar Warriors,

as well as Illari.

And it's also gorgeous and a blast to play.

We also have a new mode,

Clash, with two new maps releasing later this year.

And we're excited to announce that we're going to be running

a limited-time Clash playtest on Hanaoka at the start of Season 10.

When we first launched Overwatch 2,

we set out to create at least three new maps every year,

with the intention of releasing one every other season.

But as we've added more and more maps to the game,

we heard from you that you'd like us to put as much time into our live maps

as we do into making new ones.

Based on this feedback,

we'd like to continue to make existing maps as fun as possible.

We're going to be reworking Colosseo in Season 11.

And even more exciting, sometime after Season 12,

we're looking at creating a season that will be focused on map reworks

rather than a new map.

This final map list is still being discussed,

but you have given us a lot of feedback about Dorado,

Circuit Royal, Havana, and Numbani,

so we're closely looking at those maps.

The most important part of these plans is you.

The Overwatch community is on track to reach 100 million players next season,

and our team is dedicated to developing this game alongside you.

We've been listening closely to your feedback,

and ahead of Season 10,

we'll be back with another Developer Update

to share even more upcoming changes.

You'll hear from different developers at Blizzard and Team 4

to share how we're addressing disruptive player behavior,

grouping restrictions in Competitive, and player anonymity.

So, keep an eye out,

and make sure to follow us on Twitter and YouTube for upcoming announcements.

Thank you so much for watching.

And let's make a great game.

[crew member 1] Do you want to say the Twitter again?

Okay.

-[crew member 2] Sorry about the airplane. -[crew member 3] It was just the tail.

Seriously? Okay. Here we go.

The final Mei… map list is still being discussed.

We've been listening-ing... Listening.

-Cool. -[cheering and applause]