Overwatch 2’s director says even after having to deliver the news of Hero Mode PvE being canceled and the intense backlash, he’d do it again to remain honest with players.
Overwatch 2 has had a strange life since it was released. While it’s had its ups, it most certainly has had its downs too. The debate over whether 5v5 or 6v6 is better will rage on, but there have undoubtedly been major disappointments since the game came out.
Perhaps the biggest was the announcement that the once-promised extended PvE mode wouldn’t be coming to the game. This was a major blow to the community and saw the title ridiculed in the broader gaming world. Many saw that as a huge broken promise by Blizzard – one that was irrevocable.
Announcing that news fell onto the shoulders of game director Aaron Keller. In a blog post at the time, Keller reflected on the announcement, as well as the negativity it would spawn. Now, he’s continued to expand on that decision and the communication around it at BlizzCon last weekend.
Despite becoming the “worst game on Steam”, Keller would tell players again
In an interview with IGN, Keller explained that while he was aware of the negativity announcing the decision to abandon the mode would create, he decided to remain honest with the players instead.
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“There was a moment just earlier this year when we talked about no longer delivering that [the PvE mode]. A lot of players, I think probably justifiably, felt like that was a broken promise. We knew when we did that, that people obviously weren’t going to be happy. We didn’t necessarily have to put it in front of players like that… But we chose to do that anyway because we want to be honest with our players.”
Keller expanded on the point saying that even knowing what he knows now about the backlash and consequences, he’d still make the decision again to tell the players rather than obfuscate it – even if it meant becoming the worst-reviewed game on Steam for a while.
“If we could rewind the clock, and have the choice to do that again, even knowing the consequences of it – I had the singular distinction of being the game director of the worst-reviewed game on Steam for a while – I would still go back and decide to be honest with our players.”
The mood has changed a lot around Overwatch 2, especially coming out of BlizzCon. While the stings of disappointments are still there, the game is now ready to move on and build its future. Hopefully, Keller’s commitment to being honest and transparent with the players holds up.
