Less than four years after its release, Overwatch 2 is dead.
Well. Kind of.
In all actuality, it's far more accurate and exciting to say that Overwatch--as both a title and promise--has been resurrected.
Despite finally earning the "2" in its name following last year's Overwatch Spotlight event, this year's Spotlight saw Blizzard reach a conclusion many of its fans already had: It never needed that "2." While Perks and Stadium might have reaffirmed the studio's commitment to novelty and finding new ways to explore the hopeful, comic-inspired universe it created, those ideas have always been a part of the Overwatch experience. For that reason--and countless others, it turns out--Blizzard has decided to drop the "2" from its title. Overwatch 2 is now simply, and forevermore, Overwatch.
Across Overwatch's 10-year history, countless fans have expressed that the Overwatch experience they long for is not one that redefines the game's core gameplay or introduces newness at the expense of altering everything the game already does so well; they've longed for a bold return to form, and the full realization of the promises the studio made all those years ago. Based on Overwatch's February Spotlight event--and the hours upon hours I spent at Blizzard's studio, interviewing core team members and playing this new version of Overwatch--this is precisely what the team wants, too. Now, they're acting on it. And while it might start with a name change, that's just the beginning.
"We don't want the name change to just be a marketing beat for people. That's not really what this is about," game director Aaron Keller told GameSpot. "We want to let players know, 'Okay, here's the core of the game. This is our vision for it.'"
As for what this vision is, Keller emphasized that Overwatch should now be seen as a "forever" game; rather than creating sequels, the team intends to build atop this preexisting structure and support it for as long as possible. However, the biggest change coming is to the game's format. Starting with Overwatch's next season, The Reign of Talon, Season 1, we're seeing a complete rework that brings it closer to Blizzard's original concept. Starting on February 10, Overwatch will now be divided into year-long narrative arcs, each one containing around six seasons that will incorporate story beats via limited-time events. According to associate game director Alec Dawson, the team is focused on being "in lockstep with what's going on with the story throughout the year." Dawson said we can expect changes to heroes, maps, dialogue, and more to reflect what's happening in the world of Overwatch. As the game's world state changes, we can also look forward to the continued release of supplemental media, such as comic books, short stories, animated features, and more. However, rather than forcing players to hunt down these bits of story, a new in-game tab will bring all this content directly to players.
It seems only natural to wonder what inspired this pivot, especially considering the studio's rocky history with bringing story to the game. Part of this change, Keller told me, is because when it comes to gameplay, Overwatch is in fantastic shape. After spending years focusing on the core aspects of Overwatch" and "competitive PvP experience," Keller said the team has finally "solidified it."
"We have this core game loop that I think a lot of people really love and a lot of people really engage with, and we've seen results from that. We even hear from players like, 'Hey, Overwatch is in the best state it's ever been in.' But that's just step one," Keller said. "Now we feel like we've earned the right to go big, and that's what we're doing with Season 1. We're going as big as we can. We want to make a splash with this release, and we want to be able to continue to do that.
Keller also admitted that the team took "some missteps" and felt the time had come to "change [their] strategy" and revisit Overwatch's main story. I asked Keller if he was worried this course correction seemed too fluid, or made the studio seem vulnerable. He admitted that's a "valid potential criticism," but also emphasized that doing what the team thought was right for the game and its players comes before pride.
Though the extent of the event has remained secret, it's no secret that Blizzard has been teasing something Talon-related for Overwatch. Turns out, the game's first story arc, The Reign of Talon, revolves around the devious organization, which undergoes a major shakeup after newcomer Vendetta hacks off former-leader Doomfist's arm and pushes him through a window, presumably killing him. Despite Talon's many members being unsure about this young, reckless, and untested assassin leading their cabal, there's no denying that her coming into power is a boon for the organization, which quickly adds three new recruits to the cause and sees their sphere of influence greatly increase.
It seems a dark place to start, I told Keller during our interview. Since its inception, Overwatch has always prioritized maintaining an optimistic tone and hopeful message. Kicking off what is arguably the game's biggest update with a story that closely follows its villains--and even allows players to ally with them in the limited-time, story-inspired event, Conquest--seems at odds with its heroic messaging. According to Keller, the priority here was ensuring that from day one, the game "feels different."
"It's not going to be dark the whole year. This is a future worth fighting for," Keller said. "Overwatch is about a hopeful, brighter future and we want to return to that, but this is a really cool way to start it."
"It makes sense," I added. "You can't notice the light without it first being dark, right?"
"Exactly," Keller replied.
Keller also admitted that he's seen a lot of criticism leveled against Doomfist over the years, hence feeling like it was time he was challenged in-game, too. While he's "a really cool character," many have felt he "hasn't really deserved his place at the head of Talon," Keller told me.
"He's been there, but we haven't really seen him do anything really cool or monumental. So, from my point of view, I felt that we either have to get rid of him, or he has to do something that makes players believe that he's the rightful leader of what's supposed to be a very dangerous organization," Keller said.
Considering the character's popularity, how many players have invested time into learning his playstyle and money into his cosmetics, and the fact that his death took place off-screen, it seems safe to assume we haven't seen the last of Doomfirst. In fact, I'd suspect Keller was hinting that we'll be seeing a new and improved Doomfist--a decisive Doomfist who takes action and maybe even sports a new look and kit--later this year. Associate director Alec Dawson also reassured me that there are "no plans to remove any characters from the roster depending on what may happen to them." While the team wants to reflect the story in the gameplay, eliminating a hero seems to be a step too far.
Throughout The Reign of Talon's six seasons, 10 new characters are coming to Overwatch. In Season 2 through 6, you can expect one new character per season. However, the game's first season kicks off with an unexpected bang, as five new characters will all be available as soon as it begins on February 10.
These characters include a few highly rumored and anticipated faces, such as the disgraced former-Overwatch agent Emre and a loveable ball of fur simply named Jetpack Cat. We'll also get a deeper look at Wuxing University thanks to the addition of Wuyang's older sister, Arnan; a chance to meet Vishkar industry's vice president, Domina; and an opportunity to play as our first member of the Hashimoto clan, Mizuki. As for why these five characters are entering the fray, Dawson said it's part of the team's concentrated effort to go "deeper" with the world rather than "horizontal."
"I think something we may have done a little bit too much of in the past is creating characters and factions almost out of thin air. Rather than going more horizontal with the world, we're going a bit deeper with what's already there," Dawson said. "Mizuki is a great example. We want to explore more about Kiriko and who's around her; what are some of the affiliations in that area in Kanezaka? With Domina, she's from Vishkar. And Emre has been a fan favorite and conspiracy for a long time because he was in a whole photo. We wanted to make sure we were adding more to the world that was already there."
There's no question that this lineup serves exactly that purpose. To many Overwatch members, Emre represents a tremendous failure by the organization, which should have been there to help guide the young man. Mizuki, on the other hand, works for the organization that murdered Genji and Hanzo's father; I can't imagine either of them--or Kiriko, for that matter--will be happy to see him. As such, we can expect a lot of character interaction this year, as sworn enemies are forced to confront one another. According to Overwatch's narrative team, the game is already at well over 800,000 voice lines. I'm just hoping at least 50,000 of those solely focus on Jetpack Cat.
With all these additions, it's important players brace themselves for change and perhaps something they dread even more: balance issues. As Dawson noted in our interview, it's going to be more challenging than usual to separate what's working and what isn't since the game is adding multiple variables at once. Though the team has faith in its ability to collect data, maintain responsiveness, and address issues that need addressing as quickly as possible, even Keller said there's "no getting around" imbalance.
"It's going to upset the balance of the game. There's no getting around that. There's something very exciting about it though," Keller said. "I think what we see with Overwatch is that our players acclimate to change and new heroes fairly quickly. At the highest levels, it might just be a few days. They could have a handle on these new heroes that quickly and start developing metas for them."
To make acclimating to these new characters a bit more seamless, the team has implemented a new system: subroles and passives. Starting on February 10, characters will be assigned subroles on top of their preexisting roles of Damage, Tank, and Support. Each subrole comes with a new passive ability that compliments their playstyle. Here's quick overview of the game's new subroles and passives, as well as which characters belong to each grouping:
Tank
Damage
Support
Similar to when Perks were introduced last year, these passives--while less tailorable--offer players guidance on how to utilize their character most effectively. When you're rewarded for being airborne with increased healing, for example, it makes sense that players will seek to up their vertical mobility and take to the skies during combat. And in addition to acting as incentives of a sort, these also make learning new characters a bit less daunting. Are you a Mercy main who wants to branch out? Try giving Kiriko a whirl. Is your team having major issues hunting down low-health enemies and taking them out before they have the chance to heal? Try playing a Recon hero--you'll be able to track enemies below half health through walls so long as you recently damaged them. Though I love Quick Play matches, there's immense satisfaction in understanding the strategy behind Overwatch, and it's never been this easy.
This idea of creating ease is also guiding a massive UI/UX overhaul for Overwatch. UI and UX lead Jay Bacuetes and the team confessed the game has gotten a bit busy over the years and finding information has grown more difficult than it should be; as an Overwatch player, I'm inclined to agree. Fortunately, the team has spent a good amount of time improving the UI. The Hero Gallery and Social panel have both received major updates, a new Story panel makes tracking the game's narrative easier than ever, events will now be regularly and more effectively promoted, a new notification hub is being implemented, and the end-of-game accolade process is now more visually compelling. It might be a lot to wrap your head around at first, but according to Bacuetes, it will be worth it.
"We're asking you to make an adjustment to a behavior that you might have ingrained over 10 years," Bacuetes said. "But the trade-off and the benefit is you get more out of it."
The studio is also looking to reduce how overwhelming Stadium can be by implementing a few significant improvements. 70 icons are being redesigned to increase clarity, and a new Smart Builder that suggests how players should build their heroes using global data is being added. On top of the Smart Builder offering up suggestions based on how the majority of Overwatch players are using a hero, it can also suggest how you should counter other enemies.
In addition to all of these changes, Blizzard has announced plenty of content coming to the game throughout The Reign of Talon. This includes new faction-themed skins; Rainy Day and Valentine's Day cosmetic collections; a lootbox refresh that sees six seasons of regular shop skins added to the draw pool; Mythic skins for Mercy, Mei, Soldier 76, Ana, Ilari, Mauga, and Genji; two new maps; and more.
With all these changes and what seems to be a rapid increase in production, I expressed two concerns when discussing the future of Overwatch with its leadership: quality control and over-promising. In an interview with Dawson and senior producer Kenny Hudson, the pair told me that the team has gotten significantly better and faster at building heroes, hence the increased production. Whereas the hero-making process used to take eight months or so, Hudson revealed the game's newer heroes take about half that time. The same can also be said of the game's maps and skins. When I asked Keller directly if he thought the speed in which the team was making things could impact the quality, he told me that while he can "see the worry," he doesn't think it's "a valid criticism of the reality."
This then gave rise to another question I had: Does generative AI account for any of this increased speed in production? Though the answer wasn't quite as direct as I was hoping, the director did state that the team is not "comfortable" putting AI-generated content in front of players.
"We don't want to put AI-generated content out in front of players. That's just not something that we're comfortable doing," Keller said. "We want this to feel like a handcrafted universe, and it is a handcrafted universe."
It could be that "in front of players" is doing some heavy lifting here, though it remains to be seen if that's the case and the team is using generative AI in the development process. Keller added that generative AI is a "moving space" that is guided by "player and societal perceptions;" so it's not likely the team will ever have a "forever policy" on its implementation.
However, when it comes to over-promising--an issue Overwatch has had in the past--Keller was quick to address the topic head-on and emphasized that it was a concern for him, too. In fact, it might just be the thing he "worries about the most." According to Keller, The Reign of Talon, Season 1 is "about as big as we can go in a season." That said, it will always be in Overwatch's nature to go big, be bold, and "make splashes."
"We're going as big as we can. We want to make a splash with this release, and we want to be able to continue to do that. What you're looking at is a series of steps for us that we think will allow us to continue to operate this game into the future. Forever is obviously a long time--I can't promise that the game's going to be around for 10 or 100 years--but it would be really great if it was.
"It's really about constantly adapting," Keller continued. "It's a competitive market, players have really high expectations for what they want, and they're always getting higher as the industry evolves. And so it's up to us to continually look at our game, look at the market, and to figure out what we're going to need to do next. But the good thing is we're always going to do that--we're always going to try to expand and evolve this game and make it the best possible version of Overwatch for our community."
Source
Well. Kind of.
In all actuality, it's far more accurate and exciting to say that Overwatch--as both a title and promise--has been resurrected.
Despite finally earning the "2" in its name following last year's Overwatch Spotlight event, this year's Spotlight saw Blizzard reach a conclusion many of its fans already had: It never needed that "2." While Perks and Stadium might have reaffirmed the studio's commitment to novelty and finding new ways to explore the hopeful, comic-inspired universe it created, those ideas have always been a part of the Overwatch experience. For that reason--and countless others, it turns out--Blizzard has decided to drop the "2" from its title. Overwatch 2 is now simply, and forevermore, Overwatch.
Across Overwatch's 10-year history, countless fans have expressed that the Overwatch experience they long for is not one that redefines the game's core gameplay or introduces newness at the expense of altering everything the game already does so well; they've longed for a bold return to form, and the full realization of the promises the studio made all those years ago. Based on Overwatch's February Spotlight event--and the hours upon hours I spent at Blizzard's studio, interviewing core team members and playing this new version of Overwatch--this is precisely what the team wants, too. Now, they're acting on it. And while it might start with a name change, that's just the beginning.
"We don't want the name change to just be a marketing beat for people. That's not really what this is about," game director Aaron Keller told GameSpot. "We want to let players know, 'Okay, here's the core of the game. This is our vision for it.'"
A new-yet-familiar vision for Overwatch
As for what this vision is, Keller emphasized that Overwatch should now be seen as a "forever" game; rather than creating sequels, the team intends to build atop this preexisting structure and support it for as long as possible. However, the biggest change coming is to the game's format. Starting with Overwatch's next season, The Reign of Talon, Season 1, we're seeing a complete rework that brings it closer to Blizzard's original concept. Starting on February 10, Overwatch will now be divided into year-long narrative arcs, each one containing around six seasons that will incorporate story beats via limited-time events. According to associate game director Alec Dawson, the team is focused on being "in lockstep with what's going on with the story throughout the year." Dawson said we can expect changes to heroes, maps, dialogue, and more to reflect what's happening in the world of Overwatch. As the game's world state changes, we can also look forward to the continued release of supplemental media, such as comic books, short stories, animated features, and more. However, rather than forcing players to hunt down these bits of story, a new in-game tab will bring all this content directly to players.
It seems only natural to wonder what inspired this pivot, especially considering the studio's rocky history with bringing story to the game. Part of this change, Keller told me, is because when it comes to gameplay, Overwatch is in fantastic shape. After spending years focusing on the core aspects of Overwatch" and "competitive PvP experience," Keller said the team has finally "solidified it."
"We have this core game loop that I think a lot of people really love and a lot of people really engage with, and we've seen results from that. We even hear from players like, 'Hey, Overwatch is in the best state it's ever been in.' But that's just step one," Keller said. "Now we feel like we've earned the right to go big, and that's what we're doing with Season 1. We're going as big as we can. We want to make a splash with this release, and we want to be able to continue to do that.
Keller also admitted that the team took "some missteps" and felt the time had come to "change [their] strategy" and revisit Overwatch's main story. I asked Keller if he was worried this course correction seemed too fluid, or made the studio seem vulnerable. He admitted that's a "valid potential criticism," but also emphasized that doing what the team thought was right for the game and its players comes before pride.
The Reign of Talon
Though the extent of the event has remained secret, it's no secret that Blizzard has been teasing something Talon-related for Overwatch. Turns out, the game's first story arc, The Reign of Talon, revolves around the devious organization, which undergoes a major shakeup after newcomer Vendetta hacks off former-leader Doomfist's arm and pushes him through a window, presumably killing him. Despite Talon's many members being unsure about this young, reckless, and untested assassin leading their cabal, there's no denying that her coming into power is a boon for the organization, which quickly adds three new recruits to the cause and sees their sphere of influence greatly increase.
It seems a dark place to start, I told Keller during our interview. Since its inception, Overwatch has always prioritized maintaining an optimistic tone and hopeful message. Kicking off what is arguably the game's biggest update with a story that closely follows its villains--and even allows players to ally with them in the limited-time, story-inspired event, Conquest--seems at odds with its heroic messaging. According to Keller, the priority here was ensuring that from day one, the game "feels different."
"It's not going to be dark the whole year. This is a future worth fighting for," Keller said. "Overwatch is about a hopeful, brighter future and we want to return to that, but this is a really cool way to start it."
"It makes sense," I added. "You can't notice the light without it first being dark, right?"
"Exactly," Keller replied.
Keller also admitted that he's seen a lot of criticism leveled against Doomfist over the years, hence feeling like it was time he was challenged in-game, too. While he's "a really cool character," many have felt he "hasn't really deserved his place at the head of Talon," Keller told me.
"He's been there, but we haven't really seen him do anything really cool or monumental. So, from my point of view, I felt that we either have to get rid of him, or he has to do something that makes players believe that he's the rightful leader of what's supposed to be a very dangerous organization," Keller said.
Considering the character's popularity, how many players have invested time into learning his playstyle and money into his cosmetics, and the fact that his death took place off-screen, it seems safe to assume we haven't seen the last of Doomfirst. In fact, I'd suspect Keller was hinting that we'll be seeing a new and improved Doomfist--a decisive Doomfist who takes action and maybe even sports a new look and kit--later this year. Associate director Alec Dawson also reassured me that there are "no plans to remove any characters from the roster depending on what may happen to them." While the team wants to reflect the story in the gameplay, eliminating a hero seems to be a step too far.
10 new characters
Throughout The Reign of Talon's six seasons, 10 new characters are coming to Overwatch. In Season 2 through 6, you can expect one new character per season. However, the game's first season kicks off with an unexpected bang, as five new characters will all be available as soon as it begins on February 10.
These characters include a few highly rumored and anticipated faces, such as the disgraced former-Overwatch agent Emre and a loveable ball of fur simply named Jetpack Cat. We'll also get a deeper look at Wuxing University thanks to the addition of Wuyang's older sister, Arnan; a chance to meet Vishkar industry's vice president, Domina; and an opportunity to play as our first member of the Hashimoto clan, Mizuki. As for why these five characters are entering the fray, Dawson said it's part of the team's concentrated effort to go "deeper" with the world rather than "horizontal."
"I think something we may have done a little bit too much of in the past is creating characters and factions almost out of thin air. Rather than going more horizontal with the world, we're going a bit deeper with what's already there," Dawson said. "Mizuki is a great example. We want to explore more about Kiriko and who's around her; what are some of the affiliations in that area in Kanezaka? With Domina, she's from Vishkar. And Emre has been a fan favorite and conspiracy for a long time because he was in a whole photo. We wanted to make sure we were adding more to the world that was already there."
There's no question that this lineup serves exactly that purpose. To many Overwatch members, Emre represents a tremendous failure by the organization, which should have been there to help guide the young man. Mizuki, on the other hand, works for the organization that murdered Genji and Hanzo's father; I can't imagine either of them--or Kiriko, for that matter--will be happy to see him. As such, we can expect a lot of character interaction this year, as sworn enemies are forced to confront one another. According to Overwatch's narrative team, the game is already at well over 800,000 voice lines. I'm just hoping at least 50,000 of those solely focus on Jetpack Cat.
Maintaining balance
With all these additions, it's important players brace themselves for change and perhaps something they dread even more: balance issues. As Dawson noted in our interview, it's going to be more challenging than usual to separate what's working and what isn't since the game is adding multiple variables at once. Though the team has faith in its ability to collect data, maintain responsiveness, and address issues that need addressing as quickly as possible, even Keller said there's "no getting around" imbalance.
"It's going to upset the balance of the game. There's no getting around that. There's something very exciting about it though," Keller said. "I think what we see with Overwatch is that our players acclimate to change and new heroes fairly quickly. At the highest levels, it might just be a few days. They could have a handle on these new heroes that quickly and start developing metas for them."
To make acclimating to these new characters a bit more seamless, the team has implemented a new system: subroles and passives. Starting on February 10, characters will be assigned subroles on top of their preexisting roles of Damage, Tank, and Support. Each subrole comes with a new passive ability that compliments their playstyle. Here's quick overview of the game's new subroles and passives, as well as which characters belong to each grouping:
Tank
- Bruiser: Reduces critical damage received. While at critical health, gain movement speed.
- Mauga, Orisa, Roadhog, Zarya
- Initiator: Staying airborne slightly heals you.
- D.va, Doomfist, Winston, Wrecking Ball
- Stalwart: Reduces knockbacks and slows received.
- Domina, Hazard, Junker Queen, Ramattra, Reinhardt, Sigma
Damage
- Sharpshooter: Critical hits reduce your movement ability cooldowns.
- Ashe, Cassidy, Hanzo, Soujourn, Widowmaker
- Flanker: Health packs restore more health.
- Anran, Genji, Reaper, Tracer, Vendetta, Venture
- Specialist: Eliminating an enemy briefly increases your reload speed
- Bastion, Emre, Junkrat, Mei, Soldier 76, Symnetra, Torbjorn
- Recon: You detect enemies below half health through walls after damaging them.
- Echo, Freja, Pharah, Sombra
Support
- Tactician: You can gain excess ultimate charge which carries over after using your ultimate ability.
- Ana, Baptiste, Jetpack Cat, Lucio, Zenyatta
- Medic: Healing allies with your weapon also heals you.
- Kiriko, Lifeweaver, Mercy, Moira
- Survivor: Using a movement ability activates passive health regeneration.
- Brigitte, Illari, Juno, Mizuki, Wuyang
Similar to when Perks were introduced last year, these passives--while less tailorable--offer players guidance on how to utilize their character most effectively. When you're rewarded for being airborne with increased healing, for example, it makes sense that players will seek to up their vertical mobility and take to the skies during combat. And in addition to acting as incentives of a sort, these also make learning new characters a bit less daunting. Are you a Mercy main who wants to branch out? Try giving Kiriko a whirl. Is your team having major issues hunting down low-health enemies and taking them out before they have the chance to heal? Try playing a Recon hero--you'll be able to track enemies below half health through walls so long as you recently damaged them. Though I love Quick Play matches, there's immense satisfaction in understanding the strategy behind Overwatch, and it's never been this easy.
Changes, changes, and more changes
This idea of creating ease is also guiding a massive UI/UX overhaul for Overwatch. UI and UX lead Jay Bacuetes and the team confessed the game has gotten a bit busy over the years and finding information has grown more difficult than it should be; as an Overwatch player, I'm inclined to agree. Fortunately, the team has spent a good amount of time improving the UI. The Hero Gallery and Social panel have both received major updates, a new Story panel makes tracking the game's narrative easier than ever, events will now be regularly and more effectively promoted, a new notification hub is being implemented, and the end-of-game accolade process is now more visually compelling. It might be a lot to wrap your head around at first, but according to Bacuetes, it will be worth it.
"We're asking you to make an adjustment to a behavior that you might have ingrained over 10 years," Bacuetes said. "But the trade-off and the benefit is you get more out of it."
The studio is also looking to reduce how overwhelming Stadium can be by implementing a few significant improvements. 70 icons are being redesigned to increase clarity, and a new Smart Builder that suggests how players should build their heroes using global data is being added. On top of the Smart Builder offering up suggestions based on how the majority of Overwatch players are using a hero, it can also suggest how you should counter other enemies.
In addition to all of these changes, Blizzard has announced plenty of content coming to the game throughout The Reign of Talon. This includes new faction-themed skins; Rainy Day and Valentine's Day cosmetic collections; a lootbox refresh that sees six seasons of regular shop skins added to the draw pool; Mythic skins for Mercy, Mei, Soldier 76, Ana, Ilari, Mauga, and Genji; two new maps; and more.
The future of Overwatch
With all these changes and what seems to be a rapid increase in production, I expressed two concerns when discussing the future of Overwatch with its leadership: quality control and over-promising. In an interview with Dawson and senior producer Kenny Hudson, the pair told me that the team has gotten significantly better and faster at building heroes, hence the increased production. Whereas the hero-making process used to take eight months or so, Hudson revealed the game's newer heroes take about half that time. The same can also be said of the game's maps and skins. When I asked Keller directly if he thought the speed in which the team was making things could impact the quality, he told me that while he can "see the worry," he doesn't think it's "a valid criticism of the reality."
This then gave rise to another question I had: Does generative AI account for any of this increased speed in production? Though the answer wasn't quite as direct as I was hoping, the director did state that the team is not "comfortable" putting AI-generated content in front of players.
"We don't want to put AI-generated content out in front of players. That's just not something that we're comfortable doing," Keller said. "We want this to feel like a handcrafted universe, and it is a handcrafted universe."
It could be that "in front of players" is doing some heavy lifting here, though it remains to be seen if that's the case and the team is using generative AI in the development process. Keller added that generative AI is a "moving space" that is guided by "player and societal perceptions;" so it's not likely the team will ever have a "forever policy" on its implementation.
However, when it comes to over-promising--an issue Overwatch has had in the past--Keller was quick to address the topic head-on and emphasized that it was a concern for him, too. In fact, it might just be the thing he "worries about the most." According to Keller, The Reign of Talon, Season 1 is "about as big as we can go in a season." That said, it will always be in Overwatch's nature to go big, be bold, and "make splashes."
"We're going as big as we can. We want to make a splash with this release, and we want to be able to continue to do that. What you're looking at is a series of steps for us that we think will allow us to continue to operate this game into the future. Forever is obviously a long time--I can't promise that the game's going to be around for 10 or 100 years--but it would be really great if it was.
"It's really about constantly adapting," Keller continued. "It's a competitive market, players have really high expectations for what they want, and they're always getting higher as the industry evolves. And so it's up to us to continually look at our game, look at the market, and to figure out what we're going to need to do next. But the good thing is we're always going to do that--we're always going to try to expand and evolve this game and make it the best possible version of Overwatch for our community."
Source