Overwatch 2 devs already testing Season 8 hero & maps months in advance

Overwatch 2’s Game Director says the team has already started playtesting a Season 8 hero and maps that won’t go live for several months.

Like the original title before it, Overwatch 2 will live and die by the strength of Blizzard’s post-launch support efforts.

The development crew recently outlined its content release plans for Overwatch 2’s first Battle Pass, whose offerings will include access to Kiriko, five Legendary Skins, half a dozen Poses, and more.

Season 1’s Battle Pass isn’t the only future content that Blizzard Entertainment has its hands full with, however.

Overwatch 2 devs are already playtesting Season 8 additions

Speaking with Eurogamer, Game Director Aaron Keller explained that seasonal drops and battle passes help “fund development.”

As such, developers find it best to plan ahead and work on new additions long before they see the light of day. Blizzard is presently playtesting the hero that will launch alongside Overwatch 2 Season 8 as a result. Maps that probably won’t release until Season 13 have entered production, too.

The Game Director also noted that “…releasing continuously and keeping up that cadence is what allows us to fund all of this development at this incredibly high bar that we’re always shooting for, with this very frequent amount of content that we’re dedicated to doing over the long term.”

Activision Blizzard

As things currently stand, Blizzard intends to deploy a new Overwatch 2 season every nine weeks or so. Keller’s comments suggest the production team will be able to maintain that release cadence for quite some time.

Season 1 is already packed with content, ranging from new heroes and locations to skins and modes. What comes after the initial battle pass remains a bit murky in terms of specifics, though.

Fortunately, the wait to see what exactly the sequel will entail is nearly at an end. Overwatch 2 hits Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms this fall on October 4.