Overwatch 2 game director, Aaron Keller, has announced plans to make changes to the game in order to enhance the fan experience. One of the first ideas mentioned is the significant reduction of spawn timers in season eight, which is set to begin in December. While Keller did not provide a specific number, the current respawn timer is 10 seconds by default, with overtime increasing it by a few seconds. In non-competitive game modes, a mechanic called “group respawn” allows players who die within five seconds of each other to respawn as a team.
Keller stated that these changes are part of a series of experiments aimed at making the game more enjoyable to play. By reducing respawn timers, players will have less downtime between lives, but it may also make ending games slightly more challenging.
In addition to the spawn timer adjustments, Keller shared other updates in a recent developer blog post. He revealed that the leaver rate of quick play games has decreased by nearly 20% since the start of season seven. The team is also working on improvements to backfilling matches, ensuring that players no longer enter games with only a few seconds remaining. Furthermore, ongoing efforts are being made to enhance the matchmaker, combat toxicity, and prevent cheating.
Keller’s blog post marks his first communication since BlizzCon, where Overwatch 2’s newest tank hero was unveiled, along with teasers for upcoming heroes in 2024 and changes to the competitive ranked system and rewards for next year.
Source: DOTESPORTS
