Overwatch took a lot from Team Fortress 2, sure, but it set the mold for a new generation of hero shooters, inspiring everything from Paladins to Concord and, of course, more blatantly, Marvel Rivals.
One element it solidified in the genre was teamplay, with ult synergy and the interactions between abilities facilitating a stronger focus on hero composition — we've all been stuck with lone wolves who refuse to swap even if they're letting the squad down (looking at you, Widow), and it's often a big contributor to why the payload jams up, or you constantly lose objectives. Working together is crucial.
However, while it might be a core part of the gameplay loop, former Overwatch boss Jeff Kaplan warned other aspiring studios who are making their own hero shooters (a big gamble in 2026) to avoid falling into the same trap, suggesting that they focus on tailoring the experience to those lone wolves instead.
Kaplan quit becuase Activision Blizzard threatened to fire 1,000 people if Overwatch didn't hit its revenue targets.
"One of my hindsight regrets about Overwatch, and I think we did the right thing in the moment, I wouldn't go back and redo it, but if I was...
