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

Since its reveal, Marvel Rivals has been frequently compared to Overwatch due to their striking similarities. Both games fall into the competitive multiplayer hero shooter genre, utilizing similar mechanics and gameplay systems. While Marvel Rivals features Marvel's iconic heroes and villains, both it and Overwatch 2 are free-to-play titles, supported through live service monetization models and enriched by the regular introduction of new characters to maintain player engagement.

Since its launch in December, Marvel Rivals has seen explosive growth in popularity, reportedly at the expense of Overwatch 2's player base. According to recent narratives, Blizzard's Overwatch 2 is experiencing a decline as NetEase's Marvel Rivals attracts a significant portion of its players.

In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller addressed the new competitive landscape that Blizzard now faces with the emergence of Marvel Rivals, which has attracted tens of millions of players. Keller described the situation as "exciting" and praised Marvel Rivals for taking ideas established by Overwatch and pushing them in "a different direction." Despite this, he acknowledged that the success of Marvel Rivals has prompted a shift in Blizzard's approach to Overwatch 2, moving away from playing it safe.

Overwatch 2 Perks

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To address the competition, Blizzard has announced significant changes coming to Overwatch 2 in 2025. These updates will not only include new content but will also bring about a fundamental shift in the game's core mechanics, with the introduction of hero perks and the reintroduction of loot boxes. The gaming community is eager to see if these changes will rejuvenate interest in Overwatch 2, which is now nearly nine years removed from the original Overwatch's debut in 2016 and two-and-a-half years since the launch of Overwatch 2.

Although Blizzard keeps Overwatch player numbers private, Steam's concurrent player counts for Overwatch 2 have hit an all-time low since its launch on the platform in 2023, with a peak of 37,046 players over the last 24 hours. In contrast, Marvel Rivals remains among the top 10 most-played games on Steam, boasting a peak of 310,287 concurrent players in the same timeframe.

Marvel Rivals Tier List: Best Heroes

Overwatch 2 currently holds a 'mostly negative' user review rating on Steam. In August 2023, it became the worst user-reviewed game on the platform, largely due to criticisms of its monetization practices. Blizzard faced backlash for converting the premium original Overwatch into a free-to-play sequel, making the original game unplayable. Subsequent issues, including the cancellation of the much-anticipated PvE Hero mode, further fueled player dissatisfaction, as this feature was seen as the primary justification for the sequel.

For more insights on Marvel Rivals, IGN offers extensive coverage, including the developer's stance on datamining and speculation about a potential Nintendo Switch 2 version.