Overwatch 2 Makes Big Changes to Stadium Roadmap

Overwatch 2 just revealed some significant alterations to its Stadium roadmap, including the delay of Unranked and crossplay, Pharah and Tracer replacing Sojourn and Wuyang as Season 18 additions, and the rescheduling of other features like Stadium Trials and Competitive Drafts. Though it is subject to further change, fans now have a new look at the Stadium updates they can expect in Overwatch 2 over the next several months.

In early May, Overwatch 2 revealed a roadmap detailing many of the features planned for the Stadium game mode over the next several seasons. This infographic included hero and map additions, new features like Unranked and crossplay, and other quality-of-life improvements.

Recent Overwatch 2 Update Paints the Wrong Picture of Season 17

Though Season 17 of Blizzard’s hero-shooter, Overwatch 2, is just a few days away, the most recent look at it may be doing its content a disservice.

Now, shortly before the launch of Overwatch 2 Season 17 on June 24, Blizzard has revealed some significant changes to its previous plan. Specifically, the Stadium team shared an updated roadmap for Season 17, 18, 19, and beyond. Many of these adjustments were delays – for example, Unranked Stadium and crossplay have been pushed back to Season 18 so that Blizzard can refine a better backfill system specifically tuned for the unique game mode. What’s more, Stadium Trials, a Season 18 feature wherein players complete Quests during a match for unique rewards, has been delayed to Season 19 instead.

Overwatch 2 Season 17-19 Stadium Roadmap Changes

Competitive Drives in Season 17 (new)
Unranked Stadium and crossplay in Season 18 (was 17)
Competitive Drafts in Season 18 (was 19+)
Pharah in Season 18 (new)
Tracer in mid-Season 18 (new)
Sojourn in Season 19 (was 18)
Stadium Trials in Season 19 (was 18)
Wuyang coming to Stadium much later

That said, not all of these schedule changes are delays. Competitive Drafts, originally planned for Season 19 or later, will now be released in Season 18. This will allow fans to select heroes more strategically in Stadium and provide avenues to control which heroes they play against. Additionally, Competitive Drives are coming to Stadium in Overwatch 2 Season 17 – a feature that wasn’t even on the old roadmap at all.

There are a few adjustments to planned additions to the Stadium hero roster as well. Instead of Sojourn, who will now be added in Season 19, Pharah joins Stadium alongside Winston and Brigitte in Season 18. Additionally, Tracer will be added to the game mode in the mid-Season 18 update, rather than Wuyang, the water-themed Overwatch 2 support hero previously codenamed “Aqua” who joins the cast of the core game at the start of the season.

Other features, such as custom games in Season 17, Endorsements in Season 18, and consumable and active items in Season 19, are currently where they previously were on the roadmap, though that could always change in the future. Players can expect to learn more about these features and more in the weeks leading up to their respective seasons.