Genji players are not happy with the direction the Overwatch 2 devs have taken their beloved cyborg ninja and worry there could be more nerfs on the way after hearing developer comments.
The Overwatch 2 devs smacked Genji with a series of nerfs to begin the game’s lifespan, with the hero losing ammo, damage, and a passive that gave him an important speed boost.
Despite pleas to buff the hero a bit, the devs have remained adamant that Genji is still in a good place despite community reception, as Lead Hero Designer Alec Dawson indicated during a discussion on Twitch.
However, in that conversation, Dawson sparked some backlash when he suggested that the team was looking to potentially transfer some of the power from his Dragon Blade ultimate to the rest of his kit in the neutral.
I'm not sure I understand how the hero can be doing "quite well" when he's lost everything that has made him good (damage, ammo, speed passive)I'm mostly annoyed about losing the speed passive because that made him way less fun to play imo. https://t.co/lcCI2Fmcqa
— Necros (@necros_ow) January 27, 2023
Genji mains not happy with Overwatch 2 balance changes
Clips of Dawson’s comments spread through Twitter, with plenty of Overwatch players voicing displeasure at the news that Dragon Blade could be hit with some nerfs.
Twitch streamer Necros was left completely confused, commenting: “I’m not sure I understand how the hero can be doing ‘quite well’ when he’s lost everything that has made him good.”
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According to the Genji main, the loss of the speed passive in particular made him a lot less fun to play.
Others chimed in with their own concerns, bringing up how the balance team decides to change up certain heroes and the data they pull from.
they mean hes doing well in BRONZE i wish this was a joke but just look at sojourn and all the “data” they pull up when talking about hero strength or the new playerbase. they dont care about us. at all. and probably never will again.
— Reise_OW (@OwReise) January 27, 2023
“They mean he’s doing well in BRONZE,” another player fumed. “I wish this was a joke but just look at Sojourn and all the ‘data’ they pull up when talking about hero strength or the new player base.”
“The worst part about it is how he’s saying that if they were to ever give him damage or ammo back, they will nerf blade first,” someone else moaned. “There’s so much stuff that counters Genji now that it’s absurd to think Blade is an issue.”
The worst part about it is how he’s saying that if they were to ever give him damage or ammo back (He needs damage, healing is stupidly high+breakpoints) they will nerf blade first.Why? There’s so much stuff that counters Genji now that its absurd to think Blade is an issue.
— ツAbby (@AbbyAZK) January 27, 2023
We’ll have to see how these possible changes are implemented in the future or if the backlash from Genji players will be enough to make the balance team rethink things heading into Season 3 next month.