Overwatch 2 devs plan more role experiments amid 6v6 arrival

Overwatch 2 devs have brought up a new format they’re looking to experiment on, which involves giving a certain “bonus” to a player.

Overwatch 2’s July 25 developer blog touched on the 6v6 format, explaining the reason behind the transition to 5v5 and how the team plans to explore how they can “test different forms of 6v6 in-game to gauge the results.”

But with all the challenges that come with 6v6, they wanted to focus on making 5v5 “the best experience possible” while also remaining open-minded to players’ feedback.

Hence, they’re looking into running a “series of events to try out different core team composition formats in Overwatch 2.”  Though this was not specified in the blog, a recent developer interview with Overwatch 2 streamers Flats and SVB provided more insight into what players can expect next – a two-player per role experiment in 5v5.

In a 5v5 format, this means that a team can run two tanks, two DPS, and one support. Alternatively, they can run two tanks, a solo DPS, and two support. No matter what though, one of the team members will be the solo role – but there’s a catch.

When asked about exploring the hybrid open queue system for Overwatch 2, Lead Hero Designer Alec Dawson mentioned experimenting with a “format where that solo player actually gets a bonus or some sort.”

“If you are that – say, you’re the solo tank, and you play 1-2-2 again, but that’s open queue format, you’re playing as two tanks, it’s rather difficult. Do we need to give you something? Or you’re the solo support in a 2-2-1 team, and yet you have to do the healing. Do you need something too?” he said.

What kind of “bonus” this would be wasn’t mentioned, but it’s safe to assume it’s likely a buff for the player with the solo role. 

So far, it’s been made known that another Quick Play Hacked will be coming in Season 13, and it’ll be interesting to see how a change like this would affect the game.