From Concept to Combat: How Stadium Came to Life in Overwatch 2
Summary
- A new groundbreaking experience for Overwatch 2 is here, and it will change the way you play the game.
- Senior game designer Dylan Snyder talks about how Stadium came to be and shares his favorite Hero builds.
- Stadium is just getting started—keep that feedback coming!
Calling all heroes! As you may have seen, Stadium launched in Overwatch 2 on April 22! As a member of the Overwatch development team, I’m here to share a behind-the-scenes look into how we crafted this new way to play, and I’ll sprinkle in some of my favorite features and builds as well!
Building Stadium
The whole team—including myself! —was so excited about building Stadium from day one. It’s not just another mode; it’s an entirely fresh way to experience Overwatch – and you can learn more about the mode here. Beginning as a passion project, our ultimate goal was to push the boundaries of Hero fantasies and match variety, plus we still wanted it to ultimately feel like Overwatch…no pressure, right?
The idea for Stadium actually started brewing before Overwatch 2 was even launched. During those early brainstorming sessions, one central theme kept bubbling up—we wanted you to have options. Tons of them. Whether it was your strategies, the way you enhance your Hero, or even how you view the game (hello, third-person perspective!), we want to empower you to adapt to your match, team, and individual style on the fly.
This sparked the idea for a long-form “best of” mode, where every skirmish would teach you valuable lessons and allow you to tweak and upgrade your play. That was the beginning of what resulted as Stadium: battles are fast, choices are deep, and the possibilities are endless.
Inspirations That Shaped Stadium
Stadium wouldn’t be what it is without the inspirations it drew from. It owes a lot to our Blizzard neighbor, Hearthstone, and specifically its Battlegrounds mode. But while Hearthstone gave us ideas on fostering deep, strategic builds with downtime planning, we wanted to inject our own Overwatch flair.
Overwatch has always let you become the hero, and in Stadium, we leaned hard into that concept. Here, you can amplify your Hero’s abilities to ridiculous levels. Trust me, watching a Reaper who never has to reload is both terrifying and oddly satisfying (unless you’re on the receiving end!) That being said, balance is key, and we learned not every concept fits (sorry, overpowered lava pools).
The biggest difference between us and Hearthstone’s Battlegrounds? We wanted to remove randomness and hand all the options over to the player. This not only makes the system easier to learn but also enables mastery over time. Nothing beats the feeling of transforming a humble Ana into a nano-boosting, wall-busting legend.
Third-Person Perspective (Finally!)
This might be my favorite part of Stadium. For the first time in Overwatch history, you can flip between first and third-person perspectives. Yes, you read that correctly.
During early playtests, we saw how chaotic Stadium can get, with flying heroes and way too much lava (yes, I kept walking into it, don’t judge). Zooming out your view makes the gameplay more readable and opens new ways to strategically assess battlefield chaos.
The Overwatch team had already done a lot of work making sure third-person silhouettes and animations were clear for opponents. Now, we leveraged that effort to integrate third-person cameras for every character. And if you’re more comfortable in first-person (after all, Overwatch’s roots are deeply FPS), you can toggle back if that’s your preference. Stadium is all about letting you play your way.
My Top 3 Favorite Stadium Builds
To get you started, I want to share my top three favorite Stadium builds. These combos were literal game-changers for me.
1. Reaper’s Shotgun Sweeper
- Hero Item: “Onslaught”: Increase your Max Ammo by 25%. Every third shot costs no ammo, but deals less damage
- Power: “Revolving Ruin”: Close range Shotgun hits increase Attack Speed by 5% for 1s. This stacks up to 8 times.
If you love chaos, this is your dream. Once Reaper becomes an endless shotgun machine, entire enemy lines will melt away. It’s both horrifying and beautiful.
2. Ana’s Ultimate Medic
- Hero Item: “Eye of Horus”: Nano Boost can hit targets through walls
- Power: “Our Turn”: Nano Boost affects all allies in line of sight
Transform Ana into the ultimate clutch queen. Buff your teammates wherever they are, and with amplified healing, turn losing matches into spectacular comebacks.
3. Ashe’s B.O.B. Jr. Blast
- Hero Item: “B.O.B. Wire Defense”: When B.O.B. stops charging, he gains 300 Armor
- Power: “B.O.B. Jr.”: Reduce your Ultimate cost by 50% and summons a much smaller B.O.B., who has less health and attacks less quickly
B.O.B. has a new look; he’s small, but he’s mighty!
Step Inside the Stadium
Developing Stadium has been all about making sure it feels dynamic, fun, and true to Overwatch’s spirit. And we’re just getting started. We plan to add new heroes, maps, and other experiences into Stadium every season.
With your feedback, we will continue to evolve Stadium so it keeps getting bigger and better. Whether it’s testing new Powers, tweaking balance, or adding surprises along the way, we’re building this Stadium for you!
On behalf of the entire Overwatch team, we can’t wait to meet you on the battlefield. Time to suit up, Heroes—we’ll see you in the Stadium. I’ll be the Reaper that doesn’t need to reload, bahaha!
Overwatch® 2
Blizzard Entertainment
Overwatch 2 – Season 16: Stadium
Enter the ultimate battleground with Stadium mode, an all-new experience where customization takes the reigns in a fun, best of seven, round based fight. Then, celebrate the launch with the Stadium: Initiation seasonal event to unlock exclusive rewards. Plus, the relentless bounty hunter Freja arrives as the latest DPS hero, bringing precision and mobility to every match. Meanwhile, the battlefield transforms with stunning skins, from the Dokiwatch team—led by Mythic Heart of Hope Juno—to Legendary Ashe, Genji, Brigitte, Lifeweaver, and Mauga in the Premium Battle Pass. Whether you’re outwitting opponents in Stadium, hunting your prey with Freja, or wielding magic with Dokiwatch, this season is packed with action, strategy, and a whole lot more.
The Overwatch League
Token will no longer be purchasable after December 9, 2024. The OWL shop will remain open until at least December 2025, with limited inventory purchasable with players’ remaining OWL token balances.
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