Overwatch 2 Dev Blizzard Welcomes Marvel Rivals Competition, Says It’s Never Faced Another Game ‘So Similar to the One We've Created’

From its initial reveal, *Marvel Rivals* drew immediate comparisons to *Overwatch*. Superficially, the resemblance is striking: both are competitive multiplayer hero shooters, differing primarily in their roster of playable characters—Marvel heroes and villains versus *Overwatch’s* original cast. Both are free-to-play, live-service titles, relying on new character additions to maintain player engagement.

Since its December launch, *Marvel Rivals* has exploded in popularity, sparking speculation that it's siphoning players away from *Overwatch 2*. This narrative suggests *Overwatch 2’s* player base is shrinking as *Marvel Rivals* gains traction.

In a recent GamesRadar interview, *Overwatch 2* director Aaron Keller acknowledged this new competitive landscape, stating, "We're obviously in a new competitive landscape that I think, for *Overwatch*, we've never really been in before, to this extent where there's another game that's so similar to the one that we've created."

Overwatch 2 Perks

Rather than viewing *Marvel Rivals’* success negatively, Keller described the situation as "exciting" and praised its unique take on established *Overwatch* mechanics. However, he admitted that *Marvel Rivals* has prompted a shift in Blizzard's approach to *Overwatch 2*, declaring, "this is no longer about playing it safe."

Consequently, Blizzard announced significant changes coming to *Overwatch 2* in 2025. While the roadmap includes expected new content, core gameplay will undergo a major overhaul, including the introduction of hero perks and the return of loot boxes.

The success of these changes in revitalizing *Overwatch 2* remains to be seen. Nearly nine years after the original *Overwatch’s* 2016 debut and two and a half years since *Overwatch 2’s* launch, Steam concurrent player numbers are at an all-time low since its 2023 release, peaking at 37,046 in the last 24 hours. In contrast, *Marvel Rivals* maintains a top 10 Steam ranking, with a concurrent player peak of 310,287 over the same period.

Marvel Rivals Tier List: Best Heroes

Marvel Rivals Tier List: Best Heroes

*Overwatch 2* currently holds a "mostly negative" user review rating on Steam. In August 2023, it even became the worst user-reviewed game on Steam. Much of the negative feedback centers on monetization practices following criticism over the transition from a premium model to a free-to-play sequel, rendering the original *Overwatch* unplayable in 2022. Further controversies included the cancellation of the highly anticipated PvE Hero mode, a feature many players considered crucial to the sequel's justification.

IGN offers further coverage of *Marvel Rivals*, including developer clarifications on datamining and discussions about a potential Nintendo Switch 2 version.