Blizzard just held its second annual Overwatch Spotlight presentation, and the lengthy showcase laid out a lot of changes coming to the hero shooter this year. Overwatch’s next season is being branded as a complete revamp to the game, so much so that Blizzard is calling it “Season One” rather than Season 21, and is also dropping the 2 from the game’s title. So what is Blizzard bringing to the table with this clean slate? We attended a briefing on Blizzard’s Irvine campus earlier this month (paid for and accommodated by the company) where we saw the presentation, got hands-on time with new heroes and conducted interviews with the team. Let’s dive in.
© Blizzard EntertainmentA new cinematic that could change everything
The Spotlight showcase kicks off with a new cinematic starring Vendetta and Doomfist. The sword-wielding villain has been the star of much of Overwatch’s recent external media as she’s planned to take her rightful place at the top of the terrorist organization Talon. Her father, Antonio Bartalotti, was killed in the Retribution Archives event back in 2018, and once he was gone, she no longer had the ties to the organization that she was promised. So now she’s shown up on Doomfist’s doorstep to take it by force. This short is kicking off the first of Overwatch’s planned annual narrative arcs, which will be told with periodic lore drops over the next year. Rather than the character-establishing pieces Overwatch has typically done with comics, short stories, and cinematics, everything that comes out over the next year will be telling a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
As for how this will be reflected in Overwatch itself, there will be noticeable changes in-game to keep up with the story playing out outside of it, such as updates to maps, pre-match banter that reflects the current state of the story, and in-game events. The first of these events will have players siding with either Overwatch or Talon, similar to a Splatfest in Splatoon. The story will conclude in season six, with a new one kicking off in 2027.
10 heroes are coming in the next year, and five are out next week
One of the most immediate changes coming in season one is Overwatch getting five new heroes on February 10 right when the season starts. This includes previously teased DPS heroes Anran and Emre, as well as Vishkar Tank Domina and two support heroes named Jetpack Cat and Mizuki. But this is only half of the new heroes coming to the game in 2026. A new hero will launch in each of the next five seasons, and while we don’t know who they are yet, we have seen their silhouettes. One looks like a mech pilot similar to D.Va, while another looks like an Omnic.
© Blizzard EntertainmentSub-roles make characters more distinct
There are three roles in Overwatch, but Blizzard is making moves to bring more diversity to how they operate within those archetypes. This is coming in the form of sub-roles, which further divide up the three roles to give each hero a more personalized passive ability, rather than giving every Tank, DPS, or Support hero the same advantages. The breakdown is as follows:
TANK
Bruiser: Reduces critical damage received. While at critical health, gain movement speed.
Mauga / Orisa / Roadhog / Zarya
Initiator: Staying airborne lightly heals you.
D.Va / Doomfist / Winston / Wrecking Ball
Stalwart: Reduces knockbacks and slows received.
Domina / Hazard / Junker Queen / Ramattra / Reinhardt / Sigma
DAMAGE
Sharpshooter: Critical hits reduce your movement ability cooldowns.
Ashe / Cassidy / Hanzo / Sojourn / Widowmaker
Flanker: Health packs restore more health.
Anran / Genji / Reaper / Tracer / Vendetta / Venture
Specialist: Eliminating an enemy briefly increases your reload speed.
Bastion / Emre / Junkrat / Mei / Soldier: 76 / Symmetra / Torbjorn
Recon: You detect enemies below half health through walls after damaging them.
Echo / Freja / Pharah / Sombra
SUPPORT
Tactitian: You can gain excess ultimate charge which carries over after using your ultimate ability.
Ana / Baptiste / Jetpack Cat / Lucio / Zenyatta
Medic: Healing allies with your weapon also heals you.
Kiriko / Lifeweaver / Mercy / Moira
Survivor: Using a movement ability activates passive health regeneration.
Brigitte / Illari / Juno / Mizuki / Wuyang
Competitive refresh
The new season is also bringing a refresh to the competitive mode, with rewards like a new red Crimson Wolf competitive weapon variant, a Doomfist Diamond+ skin, challenger tier integration, FaceIt tournament invites, and rarity-based competitive titles coming in season two.
UI/UX update
Overwatch will be getting a major UI overhaul completely revamping the hero gallery, social panel, home menu, and notification hub for “faster navigation” and “reduced friction.” This will also include a new 3D hero lobby in season one, which will expand to a full party in season four.
Stadium updates
Also getting a UI update is the build-based Stadium mode, which is getting reworked icons for easier readability, and a Hero Builder that gives you recommendations for your character’s build over the course of its long matches. Vendetta will also be joining the line-up for the mode.
© Blizzard EntertainmentSkins and a Hello Kitty collaboration
Like in every Overwatch season, there will be new skins. Mercy is getting her second customizable Mythic Skin, which I’m sure everyone will be very normal about, while Mei will get her first one at the mid-season patch. The following six characters will also be getting new skins as part of a Sanrio collaboration:
- Juno – Hello Kitty
- Kiriko – Cinnamoroll
- Mercy – Pompompurin
- D.Va – My Melody
- Widowmaker – Kuromi
- Lucio – Keroppi
Other Mythics planned for future seasons include:
- Mythic Hero Skins: Soldier: 76, Ana, Illari, Mauga, and Genji
- Mythic Weapon Skins: Genji, Hanzo, and Sojourn
The return of Post-Match Accolades
The original Overwatch had a feature where you could vote to recognize players for their achievements, whether that be high damage output or time on an objective. Blizzard is bringing this back in a future update, but rather than just being cards like in the last game, they will show up on a new screen that will include everyone’s hero models with the skin they wore during the match.
© Blizzard EntertainmentA Switch 2 upgrade
Overwatch will finally be getting a Switch 2 update in season 2, so hopefully it becomes an actual playable experience on handheld because I’d love to play the game on the go so my dailies aren’t neglected when I’m traveling.
All of this will kick off when season one begins on February 10, which will also be when Overwatch 2 drops the 2 and just becomes Overwatch again. I’m sure that will not be confusing for any database that has divided both games in two up to this point.
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