Overwatch devs tease next streamer Experimental patch, pushing some changes to live

Michael Gwilliam
Sigma buffed

The Overwatch developers are already teasing the next streamer-inspired Experimental patch after the success of this latest one and there’s a chance some changes actually go through to live.

The Overwatch creator patch has been a major hit with players thanks to all of the whacky balance chances that accompanied it.

Upgrades to Lucio and Doomfist’s ultimates and reworks to characters such as Brigitte have left a lasting impression on the community, so much so that Blizzard wants to do it again.

In a series of posts on the official forums, Community Manager Andy B touched on some gripes fans had with the balance changes and what they have planned for the future.

Doomfist on Lijang tower
A lot of fans are loving the Overwatch Experimental patch.

Next Overwatch patch teased already

In response to fans inquiring about how the three streamers responsible for balancing support, tank and DPS heroes and a lack of coordination between them, Andy revealed that the team has been brainstorming ideas.

“We’ve been discussing themes internally, and will do so with the next group of creators we work with,” he said. “This first iteration has been a great proof of concept. We’re going to continue to improve and iterate on these, and other community events, as we go.”

He also stressed that this current Experimental patch was not meant to be “serious” as it pertains to balance, but that doesn’t mean that some changes won’t actually be implemented in some capacity.

Zenyatta on Temple of Anubis
A lot of heroes have been completely reworked.

Will Overwatch streamer balance changes be added?

According to Andy, there is a planned meeting happening with Geoff Goodman and the hero balancing team to see if there are any changes that would work on the live version of the game.

While this isn’t a confirmation by any means, considering the fact that some reworks from the April Fool’s Day patch from earlier in 2021, such as D.Va’s Call Mech buff were added, there is a precedent.

Of course, there is also the possibility that nothing goes through, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds.

In any case, these special Experimental patches seem to be a big push the devs and Overwatch team has planned until Overwatch 2 is finally released.

About The Author

Michael Gwilliam is a senior writer at Dexerto based in Ontario, Canada. He specializes in Overwatch, Smash, influencers, and Twitch culture. Gwilliam has written for sites across Canada including the Toronto Sun. You can contact him at michael.gwilliam@dexerto.com or on Twitter @TheGwilliam