Director’s Perspective: The Stadium’s Journey – Past, Present, and Future

Hey there! So, Stadium, right? People seem to be really digging it, and honestly, we’ve been pretty stoked watching you all dive in and play. The builds? Wow. You guys blew us away—okay, not really a shocker. We knew you’d do something wild.

But before diving into the now and the what’s next, I figured a trip down memory lane might be cool. Stadium’s got some history, and hey, I just love tossing around titles like “Past, Present, and Future.” Sounded catchy, so yeah.

### Past

Here’s the scoop: Stadium didn’t just pop out of thin air. We were already brainstorming before Overwatch 2 even hit the scene. Crazy part? My kid tossed me an early pitch with a sample level! True story. Stadium’s come a long way since that, but my kid’s touch is still kinda there in my mind when I play.

Back in its awkward phase, Stadium was more like a mixed bag festival. Random upgrades, eight-team tournaments, chaos everywhere! It was bananas. Players were picking random stuff during combat phases—Team Deathmatch or AI fights—and losing health each round if they flubbed it. Strategy? Ha, not even! Those random choices made it like playing darts in the dark.

Fast forward to now, and we decided a smoother, more strategic game was the way to go. Still diverse, but with a bit of sanity and strategy. We want your choices to matter, not be a cosmic roll of dice.

### Present

Now, about keeping things balanced and all. We’ve got our rad team plotting some tweaks based off, you know, your feedback and data since launch.

Usually, new events get a playtime bump, right? But check this—Stadium? People stuck around! First week, 50% of Overwatch 2 playtime was on Stadium! So yeah, something’s working.

Oh, and we’re scrutinizing builds and Hero balance like detectives at a crime scene. Expect some midseason adjustments, and not necessarily late ones either if we spy a problem.

Our dev team’s been chatting on Reddit AMA, spilling secrets and answering your burning questions. More insights are coming in a Director’s Take next week. Stay tuned!

### Future

For Stadium fans, there’s some cool stuff on the horizon. We’re talking seasonal updates, fresh Heroes, new maps, game modes, systems, the works—basically all the love we showered on other Overwatch modes.

Sneak peek into the future: big plans and more goodies every season. We’ve thrown together a roadmap showing what’s cooking. Exciting, right?

#### Heroes

Freja’s the new kid on the block, joining with the Season 16 mid-patch. And she’s not alone; expect a new hero every season. They keep turning the game’s meta on its head—each comes out swinging and boom, everything shifts.

#### Game Modes

Coming up, we’re testing out “Payload Race” with two fresh maps. Plus, this cool “Quests” mechanic—basically, pick a quest at match start, nail objectives, grab rewards. Sounds fun, huh?

#### Systems

Systems are another biggie. Season 17 brings a build importer/exporter. Design your builds outside, pick ’em in-game, even check out community creations. It’s all about flexibility.

And, by the way, we hear you about Cross-Play. Sucks missing out on games with console and PC friends, right? We’re digging into making unranked versions to get everyone playing together. Maybe even a best-of-5 format—who knows?

Before wrapping it up, lemme just remind you: our love for Overwatch’s core modes is still strong. Stadium’s not stealing their thunder; it’s just another flavor, another way to keep Overwatch exciting.

Season 18’s going to be lit! Can’t wait for you to see it. Dive into Stadium, have a blast, and let’s keep rocking that awesome game energy.