Overwatch 2 game director says it was a "mistake" to reveal the self-heal change out of context from Season 9

Overwatch 2 blizzcon 2023
(Image credit: Blizzard)

Overwatch 2's game director has apologized for the way a major change in the FPS game was announced, explaining that it was a "mistake" to reveal it out of context.

Last week, Overwatch 2 announced that every hero would have the ability to self-heal in a seismic Season 9 change. The change was announced out of nowhere and was one of the wildest things ever seen for a competitive online shooter, such was the magnitude of what Blizzard was proposing with the changed mechanic.

Now, Overwatch 2's director has an update on the planned feature. Taking to his personal Twitter account over the past weekend, Aaron Keller says the self-heal feature is "one part of a much larger set of changes" coming to Overwatch 2 with Season 9, and that it was a "mistake to talk about this lone change out of context."

Keller reasons that it was a mistake to announce this out of context since it's "part of a much bigger set coming to Season 9" of Overwatch 2. The director rounds out by promising to further discuss the changes around Season 9 at some point in the near future.

The clarification from Keller has been met with a mixed response. The replies to the director's two tweets range from "actually a massive W for quick communication," all the way to "context or not, we don’t want or need it pls no." Everyone has an opinion on the planned change, and they're not shy of sharing it.

Even a mixed response is an improvement on the responses to the self-heal change when it was announced last week. Players far and wide absolutely hated the concept and reasoned that it would basically make the role of a healer near-redundant in Overwatch 2.

At least now we're seeing an improved response from Overwatch 2 players, even if Keller and company do have plenty more details to reveal at some point further down the line.

Blizzard wants to make Overwatch 2 heroes free for everyone the moment they launch, and that's a goal it's actively working towards. 

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
Overwatch 2 Kiriko twitch drops
Overwatch 2 director doesn't want to go back to the "chaos" or "really low lows" of Overwatch's launch, but "there is a shift in that direction" to let players feel powerful
Overwatch 2 blizzcon 2023
Overwatch 2 Season 15 finally lets you cancel emotes mid-animation, and it's unironically the best casual change since launch
Overwatch 2 support hero Lucio
Blizzard hands out refunds for a $28 Overwatch 2 skin after making it a free Twitch drop just 24 hours post-release
Screenshots of Overwatch 2 showing teams battling it out along with new perks and a Stadium game mode in action
Overwatch 2's next seasons go hard after Marvel Rivals lit a fire under Blizzard: upgradeable perks, a big third-person mode, and loot boxes are all coming
Overwatch 2
As Marvel Rivals continues to dominate hero shooters, Overwatch 2 teases "groundbreaking PvP gameplay changes" on the way
Screenshots of Overwatch 2 showing teams battling it out along with new perks and a Stadium game mode in action
"This is no longer about playing it safe": Overwatch 2 game director talks Marvel Rivals and betting big on season 15
Latest in FPS
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Ubisoft reaches deal with Tencent to create $4.3 billion mini-Ubisoft subsidiary to "spearhead development" on new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six games
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
halflife screenshot showing a headcrab jumping at a player
Half-Life devs worried Gabe Newell "promised things that they couldn't possibly deliver" for the iconic FPS, but "they just didn't know" that they'd be able to do it yet
Former Valve exec recounts the meeting where Half-Life's publisher almost killed the iconic FPS: "Half-Life would quietly die. I was stunned"
FBC Firebreak screenshot for GamesRadar Big Preview showing a character throwing an electric shock grenade in a crowded room
FBC: Firebreak may be Remedy's first live-service game but the Control creators are going about it the right way, confirming that all playable post-launch content "will always be free"
"Valve would never ship another game": Former exec forced Half-Life publisher's hand by saying Gabe Newell and the team would pivot away from game dev
Latest in News
A big mech's lost its limbs in a screenshot from Mecharashi.
Dev of cancelled Front Mission game wants to resolve Square Enix's copyright lawsuit "amicably" by swapping assets in its new strategy game
Everybody's Golf Hot Shots
The surprise theme of today's Nintendo Direct was classic PlayStation franchises getting a comeback without Sony's involvement
Hogwarts Legacy how many spells
Unannounced Hogwarts Legacy DLC reportedly canceled, partly because the studio wasn't sure it'd be worth players' money
Ultimate X-Men #14
Ultimate X-Men #14 pays homage to a classic Wolverine moment as the Shadow King returns
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Ubisoft reaches deal with Tencent to create $4.3 billion mini-Ubisoft subsidiary to "spearhead development" on new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six games
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last Of Us season 2
The Last of Us showrunner says he isn't worried about fan reaction to season 2: "The best way we could respect our fans and honor them is to not worry about them"