Overwatch 2's new mode is a lot to take in, layered on top of an already complex game, so Daily Star asked Game Director Aaron Keller how the team is planning to integrate newcomersTech14:43, 18 Apr 2025Updated 14:44, 18 Apr 2025Expect Stadium matches to be chaotic(Image: Blizzard)Overwatch 2 has big things coming next week with its latest season. We've already got an in-game perks system, while the new Stadium mode will take cues from a surprising source of inspiration.The mode, which offers a "best of 7" format with intense battle across multiple modes, locks players into a single Hero but lets them tweak it with surprising new items in the Armory, purchased with cash in each match.‌It's a really neat twist on Overwatch, leaning on MOBA-like systems, but as part of a recent interview series, I asked Game Director Aaron Keller if the sheer volume of mechanics and features makes it hard for a newcomer to get on board.Here's what he had to say.Article continues below"We've done a lot of work to make it easier for a new player to jump into Stadium. One of the biggest pieces of the Stadium game mode is the Armory, where you unlock different items and powers for your Heroes and try to put together the best build you can for that particular match," Keller explained."Systems like that can be a little bit intimidating because, by design, there is intentional complexity to them," he admits."We want this game mode to have a ton of depth. We want people to be theory-crafting what the best builds are. You know, we've had conversations internally on like 'What's the best low-cost survival item in Stadium?'"‌"We want people to be able to kind of argue back and forth on that, but that does make it a little bit harder to just jump into the mode.""So we've done several things that I think make it easier for newer or first-time Stadium players to jump into it."The first one is that we've divided our abilities into two types; There are items and then there are powers. And powers are the things that are the most transformative to your Hero, and every hero has 12 of those to pick from.‌"The trick here, though, is that you can only select an item on Rounds 1, 3, 5, and 7, but It doesn't cost any currency to select that power. So the moments where you're making a big adjustment to your hero, we've really constrained."We also have something called the 'example builds' tab, and what that is a tab in the Armory where a player can click over to, and it has two builds available that are put together by designers on our team."So if you don't want to try to take all the time to figure out what the right build is for your Hero, you can just pick one of those two. You can look at the barrier build for Reinhardt and just select the different items at the different times available to you over the course of the match, and you'll kind of like instantly have a viable build that you can use."‌Get your team together for Stadium(Image: Blizzard)So, could Stadium bring back lapsed players?‌"I'll jump on a soapbox for a second," Keller said towards the end of our chat. "It's been really exciting to see players' reception to Stadium and even as we've opened up this preview server, the team has really, really loved hearing about how much fun players are having.""So, you know, if you're watching any of that or if, or if you're reading any of the articles on Stadium, as a player that's on the sidelines, I would encourage you that now is the time to jump into Overwatch."For more on Overwatch 2, check out our chat with Keller about the huge undertaking moving Overwatch 2 to a third-person perspective for Stadium.Article continues belowFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌