Blizzard recently announced that starting with Season 15, Overwatch 2 will be removing the Clash mode from its Competitive Play lineup. We’re currently in Season 14, but the game’s developers are already setting their sights on the future and tweaking gameplay aspects for the upcoming seasons.
Overwatch 2 faces some intense competition lately, notably from Marvel Rivals, another highly popular free-to-play hero shooter. In response to Marvel Rivals’ success, Blizzard has lined up a major spotlight event for Overwatch 2 on February 12. During this event, they plan to unveil new heroes, maps, and significant changes to PvP modes. As we eagerly await the details of this event, Blizzard has started to drop hints about their plans for Season 15.
In a statement from Aaron Keller, the game director for Overwatch 2, it’s been confirmed that the Clash mode will exit Competitive Play. This decision follows feedback that Clash, known for its steamrolling tendencies, ends matches much quicker than other modes. Some players have also expressed confusion over which objectives are active during gameplay. Consequently, Blizzard is opting to remove Clash from Competitive Play beginning February 18, allowing them more time to evaluate these maps. However, fans of the mode can still enjoy it in Quick Play and other casual settings.
I personally haven’t had issues with Clash in Overwatch 2. True, there have been moments where my team faced a quick defeat, but sometimes a speedy steamroll is preferable to a drawn-out loss in those longer game modes.
Looking ahead, Season 15 is set to kick off on Tuesday, February 18. If it were up to me, I’d consider removing Flashpoint from Competitive Play instead. Since its introduction, I’ve had mixed feelings about this mode, and while improvements like spawn speed boosts have helped, it remains my least favorite. Ideally, no game modes would be removed from Overwatch 2. Having a variety keeps lengthy play sessions engaging, and dealing with occasional frustrations seems a fair trade-off for the diversity it brings to the game.
