Overwatch 2 was shown off a bit during a livestream today, and with the stream came some major news for fans of the hero shooter: it will only have five players on each side.
This is a marked change from Overwatch, which sees squads of six players go head to head over a control point or a payload that needs pushing. However, the team at Overwatch hasn't been adverse to tweaking their formula, and by removing a player from the squad count, it certainly shows they are willing to rock the boat so to speak.
Overwatch 2's new sqauds will still be class locked, with the team only allowing for certain roles to have a certain number of players on each squad. There will still be two support players, two DPS, but now only one tank to keep them all safe. Whether this meta will persist throughout the life of Overwatch 2, or if players and pros alike will be able to tweak their squad make ups at all remains to be seen once the sequel releases, but it does mean we'll see fewer Wrecking Ball and Zarya combos in Overwatch 2 controlling all the space.
One of the more interesting aspects of having just a single tank could be how the supports no longer have to split their support, instead can focus in right on a single target and keep them going for longer periods. It also has the added effect of forcing tanks to think about all the abilities their tank can bring to the table and not just the damage they can output, creating a meta where tank play might have to be more nuanced than it currently is in Overwatch.
Overwatch 2 recently saw its long-time creative director, Jeff Kaplan, leave Blizzard. New studio director Aaron Keller has stepped in, and today's PvP showcase is the first of its kind with Keller at the helm. you can check out the showcase in full in the embed below.
