Only have one word for Blizzard: spicy! The devs whetted the crescendo over-season 17, season 18, and beyond. Some have said that the wait was ensnaring.
So, what was the fuss really? The Stadium mode—a mad-speed contest—got much praise and hype from early on, and now, it is finally getting the desperately deserved renovations. New content updates for Stadium mode, hero tweaks, map changes, and some new mechanics were announced in the Weekly Recall blog. Hype over it is so sky-high, and yet, there are some classic complaints—after all, when is an Overwatch community ever satisfied?
So, on the bright side: The players are definitely loving it. @Laurastar14 is just screaming for Dylan (presumably a dev) to keep Santiago bathing in all this Stadium love. Moira mains are having a blast; @KarmaDash almost shouted at the top of her lungs for the new Moira changes. But now we come to @alanstheory, who can already sense Zen DPS running wild. Chaos? Totally. Fun? For sure.
Now, the dark side: Matchmaking. @Neooatic described it plainly: “boring,” and @Fernando_rios94 agreed, at least to a certain extent: “Update it.” Then, @StrexChild is fed up with leavers ruining every other game. The classic Overwatch problems.
Classic crossplay drama on the horizon. @BeeGnatTV called out Blizzard for backtracking on the Season 17 crossplay promise. Oof. @Quickzy3549 gets his own round of anger for the delay of the unranked Stadium mode, calling it an “inferior” move. Some folks just want ranked.
Then the Switch players came rocking in, with multiple responses calling out the Switch 2 upgrade. @bskoneczny was ruthlessly audible in his question, “Are you going to power up the Switch port?” while @Xcool_PR was demanding for crisp graphics. Are you all listening, Blizzard?
The bugs didn’t escape the wrath, either. @TristanSGS pointed out a bug with Kiriko’s Donut Delivery, @felixw1 hopes nobody lets Junkrat near Stadium, and @itshinoon has a list of demands: “Fix MMR, fix matchmaking, cancel Tracer in Stadium.” Harsh but deserved?
And then there is one for the crazies: @codeoutofthebox made a billion-dollar idea pitch to ditch hero shooter mechanics for a Destiny-style co-op mode. @Catabonk joked about maybe actually using Stadium “in Season 20 💀,” while @_LowHype_ has already started up the Lifeweaver campaign for Season 18.
So yeah, there’s gonna be some juice for the Stadium, but the question of the day is: for what? Blizzard’s got a lot to juggle with matchmaking woes, crossplay delays, and neglect of the Switch player base. Mark my words: The Overwatch 2 community is as passionate (read: crazily chaotic) as ever.
So… for now, all that can be done is wait and complain and just maybe get super excited. Great, the full rundown is available on the Weekly Recall blog. Buckle up, Season 17.
