Tech Desk 
Sep 07, 2025
Blizzard is on the move in Overwatch 2, with game director Aaron Keller stating on the game blog that some significant changes are coming in 2026.
Season 18 launched Overwatch 2 on August 26 with a new hero and gameplay features, as well as varied modes, indicating that the studio still plans on delivering over time.
A centrepiece of the update is Wuyang, a new support hero that deploys movable orbs to hinder players that are airborne.
Unlike a projectile, Wuyang's secondary fire, Restorative Stream, is like Mercy's Caduceus Staff, and players can repair damage from a good distance while capitalising on range for strong healing support.
Season 18 also introduces a Payload Race game type in Stadium, and now the Perks system has been refreshed to strengthen the activity level of the game.
Keller talked about his thoughts in a new Director's Take blog, stressing that Blizzard wants "huge, game-defining moments each year", saying, "We want to start the year off with something huge that changes the way people think about playing the game." Keller asserts that Blizzard views its update approach to date as too conservative.
Keller explained that Blizzard has been working on launching a different release model since Season 9, including Blizzard launching each year with a big update and then following that with an additional big update at the mid-year.
Blizzard's testing model continued into 2025, in which Season 15 delivered on some perks early in the year.
Looking ahead, Keller teased that Overwatch 2 will continue embracing riskier, high-impact updates. “If you watch closely over the next few months, you’ll see hints about the future of Overwatch, a future where we become less conservative and create high-octane moments that hopefully blow your minds,” he said.
To celebrate Season 18, Blizzard launched a Luka Dončić-inspired event, letting players earn up to 77 free Loot Boxes by completing challenges across multiple modes, including Stadium.
