Will Overwatch 2’s rumoured 7v7 be good for esports?

Overwatch 2 is no stranger to rumours, but the latest rounds of leaks online suggest that a 7v7 mode may be potentially added to the game in the near future.

In light of the positive reception to the return of 6v6, fans have now shifted discussions to the prospects of a 7v7 format and how well that may translate to an esports scene.

The leaks stem from a user on X called @spottier_f4k3, who shared a screenshot of the supposed 7v7 mode listed as an experimental feature in the game through data mining. Nothing else was shared about the mode, such as the inclusion of hero perks, role queue and available game modes.

There are a lot of perks that can come with a 7v7 format as a potential arcade mode, but there may be a few challenges to overcome when trying to make it competitive.

The Overwatch esports scene has been demanding a return to the 6v6 format for some time and its eventual return was met with a lot of positive feedback from the player base. Having a second tank on the field was a breath of fresh air for a lot of players.

In a Director’s Take blog post, Alec Dawson, Associate Game Director for Overwatch 2, said: “We were curious how the two-tank limit would pan out, but most games landed on the classic two-tank, two DPS, two support setup.

“Tank players in 6v6 clearly enjoy having another tank ‘buddy’ in their corner and no matter which role they choose, players are loving shorter queue times and the ability to swap roles within a match. There’s also a heightened sense of chaos that some folks just can’t get enough of.”

With the jump from 5v5 to 6v6, fans have begun to discuss online whether the Overwatch development team should take it a step further. While some are excited about the prospects of even larger-scale matches, others have some reservations.

“[Having] seven players lead to so much damage that either you’d need to absolutely mega ultra super giga buff tanks and healing, or there’d have to be three supports.” one user noted online.

The primary challenge associated with 7v7 is overcrowding. Many of Overwatch’s maps encourage fights to take place in narrow chokepoints and corridors, which can lead to visuals becoming too cluttered and fights becoming too chaotic.

That may sound like a lot of fun for a limited-time arcade mode, but for a competitive esports scene, it may instead prove to be frustrating to participate in.

Last year, in an episode of the Group Up Podcast featuring Overwatch creators ‘Flats‘ and ‘SVB,’ along with Aaron Keller, Game Director for Overwatch 2, discussed how the game was considering going into the 7v7 direction at one point.

“We did some really early playtests in Overwatch development of 7v7,” Keller said during the stream, “but at the time, a lot of the feedback that we would get from those playtests was that it just felt like you were being attacked from everywhere at the same time.”

6v6 may have won the hearts of the community, but adding an extra player may just be taking things too far. There are plenty of options for the esports scene to consider, such as the recently released Stadium mode, before it experiments with 7v7.