One of the most controversial changes in Overwatch 2 was the move to a 5v5 format. With each team no longer having a tank hero, it fundamentally changed the way the game is played, and the debate over whether or not to revert to 6v6 has been ongoing since its release. In a new blog post, game director Aaron Keller indicated plans to try 6v6 again, along with other format changes, in a series of experimental modes scheduled for later this year.

The 6v6 mode won't happen right away, Keller said, because 12-player games may “perform poorly on older systems,” and Blizzard needs “at least a few seasons” to get the game ready for that, so they will first try other format changes they are going to try.

“When you look at the changes that have been made to ‘Overwatch’ since its inception, it's clear that many of them have reduced the diversity within ‘Overwatch’ matches,” Keller said. We have received feedback from some players that “Overwatch” sometimes feels “the same” from game to game. A lot of that is attributed to 5v5, but we feel there is more going on than that.”

Later this year, in Season 13, Overwatch will introduce a limited-time “Quick Play: Hack” mode that will allow players to bend the current team composition limit of one tank, two damage dealers, and two healers. The goal is to “bring freedom back to Overwatch matches” without the serious problems associated with [6v6], namely long queue times due to lack of tank players.

One of the original goals of the 5vs5 format in Overwatch 2 was to significantly reduce the amount of time players had to wait to find a match. By removing one tank from each team, the waiting time for the least played role, the tank, was less than halved; returning to 6vs6 could mean waiting longer to find a match than to finish one. This risk “still worries me,” Keller said.

However, the debate over the current format for “Overwatch 2” has been too persistent to ignore, and Blizzard wants to try things out and see what sticks. Each test will last several weeks, and the studio will collect feedback and analyze how it affects the game. Says Keller, “With any test, we'll carefully reflect on what we learn from it and figure out the best way to give players what they're looking for.” Whether it's a 5vs5 world, a 6vs6 world, or both, is something we'll figure out in the future.”

A cleaner solution to the tank problem in Overwatch would seem to be to increase the popularity of the tank role, but that hasn't worked either. When Overwatch 2 was released, some tanks were reworked to encourage more action and less standing behind shields. The two tanks released post-launch, Rammatora and Mauga, are agile, mid-to-close range damage dealers. Nevertheless, the tanks are still the blacks in the Overwatch roster.

“Overwatch 2” could not escape the shadow of “Overwatch 1”. While I'm not a fan of 5v5 and I don't like that it has taken so much of the teamwork out of the game, I can respect Blizzard's reasons for making this change. The amount of excitement over Juno, the game's newest support hero, suggests that there are plenty of people who would like to see “Overwatch” slow down enough to allow for more strategic and team-oriented play.

Even if these experiments don't end up being a return to the glory days of “Overwatch 1,” it would be nice to finally know what 6v6 looks like in modern “Overwatch” instead of just talking about it. Maybe the outcome will be a total surprise, maybe not, but the time for fresh ideas in “Overwatch 2” is long past.