Overwatch 2 Season 17 official trailer revealed

Overwatch 2 has released the official trailer for Season 17, Powered Up, which introduces an 8-bit arcade fighting theme to the hero shooter.

From Stadium updates and new limited-time modes to map bans and reworks, here are the biggest esports-related headlines from Blizzard Entertainment’s latest Overwatch 2 update.

Overwatch 2 Season 17 introduces three new heroes to the smash hit mode Stadium, one from each role. The new characters, Junkrat, Sigma and Zenyatta, were introduced in the Stadium roadmap published back in May.

Not much has been revealed regarding their items and powers in the armoury, but the trailer did give a glimpse at what fans can expect. Sigma in particular was seen with Hyperspheres and his experimental Barrier orbiting around him.

Meanwhile, Zenyatta was spotted with an Orb of Harmony above his own head as a potential self-heal. Finally, Junkrat spawned out of an explosive RIP-Tire, dropping a cluster of bombs from above, theoretically created by his Concussion Mine.

They are releasing alongside two new Stadium maps, Esperança and Samoa, with reworks to its design to better suit the round-based format. Finally, there is the new Stadium Forge tool that lets players create, save, and share builds online.

Season 17 also introduces map voting, where members of your team can vote for one of three choices, with both map and mode on full display.

In a blog post, Blizzard wrote: “After role queue locks, you’ll get three randomised map options to choose from. Every vote adds a 1-in-10 chance to that map’s odds, and the winner is selected using a roulette-style roll.

“To keep things chill, team chat, battle tags and individual votes are hidden, so there’s no pressure.”

There will also be a new map coming to the core playlist. Aatlis is a new Flashpoint map based in Morocco, decorated with lush gardens and resort areas to explore. This map was designed to have ‘tighter fights, cleaner rotations, and fast-paced momentum,’ according to Blizzard.

Season 17 is themed around 8-bit gaming, and that is embodied through the new limited time mode, Hack & Hijinx.

The new 6v6 limited-time mode is available from July 15th to 28th, featuring match modifiers that change with each round. From low gravity to ultimate charging health packs, new rules are added to change how teams play the game. However, the mode will only be available for control maps.

There will also be new skins coming with the season, centred around retro arcades. For the first time, both the Mythic skin and Mythic weapon will launch at the same time at the launch of the season.

Reaper will receive the Mythic Steel Death Weapon skin, with skull aesthetics and retractable scythe blades at the end of each gun.

Here are all the levels and rewards fort Reapers Mythic weapon:

D.Va is the next character to receive a customisable Mythic skin, and boasts the Mythic Horang Hero Skin themed around the spirit of the Siberian Tiger.

Here are all the levels and rewards for D.Va’s mythic skin:

There will also be a new battle pass centred around the new season, with both free and premium tiers available, alongside a 20-tier skip option for purchase. It features both 8-bit skins for characters like Genji and Sombra, and high school-themed cosmetics for Junkrat, Cassidy and more.

The biggest changes come with the implementation of map voting for competitive play, though at this time it is unconfirmed if these will come into effect for esports events such as the ongoing OWCS.

This feature will allow teams to play to their strengths by voting for maps and modes they are most capable of, while avoiding particular modes that have historically proven to be their weakest scenes.

Stadium is also increasingly becoming more expansive and in-depth with the addition of three new heroes and more yet to come. The inclusion of the Stadium Forge tool will be a great game changer for new players looking to catch up to speed with the rest of the more experienced competition. But the possibility of an esports scene still remains uncertain.

Though only time will tell how much of an impact the new additions and changes form Season 17 will have on the professional esports scene.