Super on the state of Overwatch: ‘Why have they abandoned it?’

San Francisco Shock main tank Matthew “super” DeLisi may be mostly known for his clutch plays and entertaining streams, but he also gets emotional when it comes to the state of Overwatch and the game’s future. 

After playing the Nov. 30 Experimental Card, which was put together using suggestions from popular content creators and is more fun than functional, super gave a passionate speech to his stream viewers.

 “It’s so easy to pump some life into this game,” he said. “Why have they abandoned it?” 

It’s no secret that Overwatch’s developers have put their full focus into the game’s sequel, Overwatch 2; in 2019, former game director Jeff Kaplan said that updates for the base game would be reduced. But with the sequel delayed to an unknown date, the community’s patience is wearing thin. 

Before the creator-inspired Experimental Card released on Nov. 30, the last Experimental update was on Oct. 21; the most recent update before that was on July 29. Live patches, which push changes to all parts of the game including competitive mode, have mostly been small updates over the past few months. 

The most notable updates have involved a name change for the game’s iconic cowboy and the introduction of a new Deathmatch map, Malevento. Other than minor hero balance tweaks, little has been given to those who mainly play competitive mode.   

“They’re leaving [the game] to die for Overwatch 2,” super said in the clip. “I get nothing because I’m over here with my thumb up my ass while I’m waiting for Blizzard to give me something with Overwatch 2.” 

Despite the reported delay in Overwatch 2, the Overwatch League will still be played on an early build of the sequel when it kicks off in April 2022. It isn’t yet known if league players will be the only ones to have access to the early build while everyday Overwatch players have to stick with the base game.    

While some parts of the community are unhappy unless comprehensive changes are made to live servers and competitive mode, others–like super–are apparently pleased with recreational updates like the chaotic Experimental Card.

“This is the most fun I’ve had playing Overwatch in forever,” super said. “I’m telling you guys, it’s so easy to keep this game rolling, but they just don’t do it for some reason. Why?”