Overwatch's glow-up didn't happen overnight
My life as an Overwatch fan is a paradox: I'm often critical of the ten‑year‑old hero shooter, yet I've stuck with it through a tumultuous decade because I trusted Team 4 to learn from mistakes. That faith has been rewarded at multiple points in recent years, and the latest Overwatch spotlight even managed to blow everyone away.
The introduction of perks and Stadium last year, together with map voting and hero bans, was a major shift. Stadium feels like a different beast while still being approachable, and perks let players change how they approach fights without swapping heroes—things like the Groggy minor perk to slow slept enemies or the Speed Serum minor perk to help tanks catch up can change the flow of engagements.
There have been missteps: the lead up to Overwatch 2 felt stale for many, some hero additions were poorly received, and the cancelled PvE plus the temporary removal of loot boxes left players frustrated.