Overwatch 2’s Stadium Mode Won’t Get Hero Bans Soon

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Overwatch 2’s Stadium mode might soon incorporate a highly demanded feature, though you should expect this update to arrive at a later time.

It’s fair to conclude that Stadium has proven to be a significant triumph in Overwatch 2. In Season 16, the innovative third-person perspective was introduced, drawing numerous enthusiasts who swiftly took up the challenge to advance their positions and concoct unique strategies for every character.

Just like with any large-scale expansion, there are several minor hiccups that need addressing. A significant issue that has been highlighted by fans is an imbalance in the game where certain characters seem to be overpowering others.

Consequently, there’s been a demand for the inclusion of the “Hero Bans” feature within the competitive mode, introduced in Season 16. However, although developers have shown receptiveness towards this concept, its implementation may not occur immediately.

OW2 devs “interested” in bringing hero bans to Stadium

During a Reddit Ask Me Anything session, the developers were enquired about whether they were considering the introduction of hero bans to prevent imbalanced team lineups that might be overly oppressive.

Daniel Duffin, the Test Analyst, mentioned that due to Stadium currently having a limited roster consisting of only 17 characters, it’s challenging to implement this specific feature at the moment.

Regarding Hero bans in Overwatch, they’re quite fresh, and initially, we thought it might not work well with Stadium’s existing lineup,” he clarified. “However, as our roster expands in the future, we might reconsider implementing Hero bans for Stadium.

Later on, Senior Designer Connor Kou expressed that the team recognizes the potential advantage this feature could bring to the mode, and they’re eager to implement it in the future.

There’s a strong possibility that a ‘hero draft’ system could enhance our game in Stadium. This mechanism offers intriguing possibilities for team formations and strategy, aspects we are eager to delve into!

It seems likely that Stadium will soon incorporate a ban option as its character count expands. While there’s no specific deadline for introducing all heroes, they are expected to join at a consistent pace over time.

Fresh characters such as Freja and Aqua are set to join our roster following their initial debuts, appearing in the mid-season update of the respective seasons they were introduced. For instance, you can expect Freja to make her appearance in Patch 16.16 of our game.

In the upcoming seasons, we’ll gradually introduce characters like Bastion and Sigma who aren’t here yet. The pace and sequence of their arrival depends on our balance adjustments.

Or: Over time, we plan to progressively add missing characters such as Bastion and Sigma across future seasons. The rate and order are contingent upon balancing considerations.

In the meantime, as hero bans are under consideration, their implementation in Stadium might take several months, if not years.

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2025-04-29 15:20