This upcoming weekend, January 12-14, embattled hero shooter Overwatch 2 will replace its popular Quick Play mode with Quick Play: Hacked, a lightning-fast version of the main game inspired by hacker character Sombra. Arcade and Competitive mode will not be affected by this change.
According to Blizzard’s blog post announcing the new mode, this is the first in a planned series of Quick Play: Hacked events going forward. “We want to explore new and fun ways to change core Quick Play gameplay. Changes will happen periodically and only for a limited time,” the blog post reads.
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Here’s what Quicked Play: Hacked will entail:
- Respawning times are now 75 percent of their original time
- Payloads in Escort and Hybrid maps will move 60 percent faster
- Taking control of the Objective Point in Hybrid is 40 percent faster than normal
- Taking control of the objective point in Control is 40 percent faster than normal, and scoring the capture progress percentage is 80 percent faster
- Taking control of the objective point in Flashpoint is 20 percent faster than normal, and scoring the capture progress percentage is 40 percent faster
- When you play an Escort, Hybrid, or Push map, the initial match time has been reduced to 70 percent of the original time, and any time extensions are also reduced to 70 percent of the total time added
- These changes only apply to all players who play in Role Queue and Open Queue Quick Play modes during the duration of the event and will return to normal after January 14. Competitive Play and Arcade modes are not affected by these changes
Blizzard’s choice to replace Quick Play entirely has been met with some intense feedback from fans, as it’s a go-to mode for so many Overwatch 2 players. Quick Play is where they go to try out new strategies, practice new heroes, and hone their skills without the pressures of Competitive mode. Personally, I never play it, because I’m a masochist and like to try (and fail) to juice my rank every time I boot up the game. But removing Quick Play entirely means robbing a core chunk of your playerbase of the only way they play a game. Blizzard seems to have anticipated some blowback, as the blog post asks and answers a question about not including Quick Play: Hacked in the Arcade mode.
The Arcade is meant for game modes that typically only play one specific map type (like Assault) or completely different ways to play Overwatch. The Quick Play: Hacked changes affect the core gameplay of our main mode, while still aiming to bring a more balanced play experience that is unique from the traditional ruleset.
Is that a satisfying answer for the legions of Overwatch 2 players who have stuck around through the shift to 5v5, the sunsetting of Overwatch 1, the adoption of a free-to-pay model with predatory pricing, or the gutting of its promised PvE mode? You tell me.
