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In case you were wondering whether or not Overwatch was feeling the pressure of Marvel Rivals’ increasing popularity, the answer arrived with the announcement of a number of updates and additions to Overwatch 2 Season 15, launching February 18 — including a new in-game Perks system, the return of loot boxes to the game, and even more changes arriving with the 16th season due later this year. 

According to lead gameplay designer Alec Dawson, the idea for the new Perks system came from a desire “to find new ways to challenge and delight our players,” with the creation of a two-tiered system of Minor and Major Perks seeming to be the way forward. As the name suggests, Minor Perks (which will arrive early in a match) are small upgrades to existing abilities that don’t significantly alter gameplay… but Major Perks are something different entirely; “Major Perks are more about shifting your core gameplay loop, and even adding new abilities to heroes,” Dawson explained, adding, “Hitting your Major Perk on a hero is a big moment in the match and can totally change how you approach an engagement.”

If that seems like a big deal, April’s Season 16 is promising something even bigger, with Stadium mode — a competitive, best-of-7 system that will feature a core group of 14 heroes at launch with more added as time goes on. Beyond giving players the chance to modify their characters between rounds (although Perks won’t be part of this mode, as currently planned), Stadium will also introduce a third-person mode to allow players to see more of the action (and the battlefield) as it’s happening, with gamers having the choice to play in first- or third-person whenever they enter Stadium mode.

Season 16 will also see the addition of Overwatch Classic, a revival of classic Overwatch 1 gameplay, as well as the addition of an all-new hero, Freja, a bounty hunter from Denmark. It will also see the introduction of Hero Bans, a somewhat controversial (and oft-requested) feature that senior systems designer Gavin Winter said will be “a system that punches up at the strong and frustrating heroes, without punching down at weaker, niche picks” that will also be able to be quickly modified based on player feedback.

The changes will start to be rolled out in February 18’s Season 15 launch. Watch the Overwatch 2 Spotlight stream video below.

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