An event that fans would love to make a comeback inOverwatch 2is the Summer Games, as Blizzard replaced it last year in favor ofAnniversary Remix Vol. 3. While the seasonal event’s game modes, like Lucio Ball, are always fun to play, Blizzard should add an all-new game mode to keep things fresh for its debut inOverwatch 2. If it wants to make this new mode a hit, the studio only needs to take inspiration fromDestiny 2’s most sought-after events.
The Guardian Games pitDestiny 2’s three classes against each other in a series of challenges to accumulate points. The class with the most points is deemed the best one of them all. This is a seasonal event, likeOverwatch’s Summer Games, and it’s one that players anticipate every year because it offers fresh game modes, unique cosmetics and weapon rewards, and bragging rights. With that being said, it would be interesting to see a similar competition forOverwatch 2’s support, tank, and damage characters.
RELATED:Overwatch 2 is Sitting on a Gold Mine of Potential Content
Overwatch 2has already experimented with an event similar to the Guardian Games in January through Battle for Olympus. It turned selected heroes into Greek gods with souped-up abilities and pitted them against each other in eight-player free-for-all deathmatches. The event had a leaderboard, which tracked the kills of each hero. Thewinner ofOverwatch 2’s2023 Battle for Olympuswas Junker Queen, which is commemorated by a statue located in the Ilios Ruins.
While the victory statue did give bragging rights to the Queen’s subjects, it still didn’t drum up the same hype as events likeDestiny 2’s Guardian Games. This is because people may take more pride in being good at a role rather than a single character. It’s especially true for games likeOverwatch 2, where one often switches heroes depending on the situation.
How Overwatch 2 Can Create a Better Guardian Games-Style Event
IfOverwatch 2wants to create a memorable Guardians Game-style event for the Summer Games, it should make it a clash between roles. This mode can get more players to participate, as they won’t be limited to a couple of heroes per role like in Battle for Olympus. Instead, they can earn points for their main role using multiple heroes.
This Guardian Games-like event could give out points as rewards for completing daily missions, similar to the existingweekly and seasonal challenges inOverwatch 2. Every role will have different performance metrics (i.e., players saved for supports), so balancing the mission difficulty so that it’s the same for all roles may be a challenge on the devs’ part.
They can then exchange these points into tiered medallions, like inDestiny 2’s Guardian Games. The higher the tier, the bigger the overall score that can be added to the role’s leaderboard standings and the more points players have to invest. This way, hardcore participants can maximize their role’s success by grinding out games for high-tier medallions. Meanwhile, casual players can still show their pride in their role by turning in lower-tier medallions. As for the main reward,players can get a role-specific cosmetic charm and spray for participating in their role’s victory. Blizzard can even go the extra mile and create a champion skin for every hero in the winning role.
Overwatch 2has been seeing some tough times in recent months, with theoverallOW2player count dropping by 18 millionsince it launched in October. There’s no better way to engage players and bring longtime fans back than through an exciting and competitive event, and a revamped Summer Games with a Guardian Games-style competition might just do the trick.
Overwatch 2is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
