The latest Overwatch 2 developer blog discusses the possible return of 6v6 combat and whether it would be the right move.
To determine whether 6v6 is worth bringing back, the developers need to provide some backstory and context as to why it was removed in the first place. In the original, 6v6 matchups allowed for either two very powerful tank synergies or a barrage of DPS ultimates, which led to some players’ mental stability being rapidly depleted. Overall, fighting through a ton of kills and tanking was no fun, nor was getting hacked by Sombra, wheeled by Junkrat, and destroyed by Soldier’s ultimate all at once.
According to the developers, the changes were not only very necessary, but also very much in demand at the time, with many players feeling that matches were becoming too long and drawn out. Queue times were also a major factor in the decision, and rightfully so, if the chart shows a significant reduction in queue times after the implementation of the 5v5 format is to be believed. After analyzing all the data and making the case for the changes, Blizzard has finally revealed what their next step will be.
“With that in mind, we’re going to be running a series of events to try out different formats of core team compositions in Overwatch 2. The community has suggested a test once or twice already. Why not introduce different forms of 6v6 into the game to see what the results are? We agree, and based on your feedback, we’re looking into how we can test different forms of 6v6 in the game to see what the results are.”
At this point, it looks like there will be testing to see if we’re living in a 6v6 world, a 5v5 world, or maybe even a world where both are available in Overwatch 2. At this point, it looks like the decision has been made to do a ton of testing to figure out the right path.
