We're going to be honest, if it wasn't for one or two new features, we wouldn't be able to tell this is a sequel. The new footage for Overwatch 2 looks eerily similar to the first game, but developer Blizzard Entertainment is adamant some new changes will change how the game is played.

The gameplay gave us a first look at some new maps, but perhaps more interestingly, revealed a drastic shift in the dynamic of the game. Instead of the usual 6v6 gameplay, teams will now be limited to 5v5, in which the game's director Aaron Keller claims "is the next step in the way that Overwatch ought to be played."

"If you think about it, there is a lot going on in an Overwatch map. It is incredibly fast-paced. We have always tried to make our combat easy to read and very understandable, and even with all of the work that we’ve put into that, sometimes it’s just hard to track what 11 other players are doing on the battlefield. Removing two of those simplifies everything, and it allows players to understand everything that’s happening around them, and to be able to make better choices"

To make this change, teams will have their tank size reduced to just one, According to lead hero designer Geoff Goodman, the tanks will be made a "little tankier", to substitute the loss of one per team, adding that "in a lot of cases, they have more health."

How this change in the game's dynamic will affect the community remains to be seen. It's already been said the game will not be releasing this year, and the team reiterated that fact during the live stream, so we'll have to wait a little longer to see how these changes change the gameplay. Maybe next year.

How do you feel about the changes to Overwatch 2? Let us know in the comments below.

[source youtube.com]