IRVINE, Calif. — Activision Blizzard announced in a recent press release that they would be laying off all Overwatch healers in an effort to cut costs.
“Financially we’re not doing as well as we hoped we would when we first announced this admittedly unnecessary sequel. We thought fans would eat it up and it’d be easy money, but they were too smart and saw right through us. Unfortunately we need to cut costs, but we believe this will be much better for the future of the game,” said lead gameplay designer Tom Phillips. “This is a shooting game and our data shows that players would much rather go in guns blazing to get play of the game instead of having to stick close to another player to stay alive. So we’re making it slightly easier for them to do that.”
Support mains are shocked and saddened at this news. Many have reported that they were never respected as much as they should have been, and this round of layoffs solidifies what they feel is years of disrespect.
“No one ever really appreciated what we did. If it wasn’t for us, most of our teams would be dead! But did we ever get play of the game? No. it was always the DPS players who go Leroy Jenkins right into the enemy who got all the glory, while we sweat to keep them alive. I’m pissed!” said one support main.
Players of other roles have taken the news rather well, believing that this change will positively affect their enjoyment of the game.
“I do feel bad for the healers but at the same time it’ll be nice not to have to be babysat by another player while I get play of the game.” said one damage player, who had plenty of time to draft their response during their queue for a match. “My healers have barely been able to keep me alive when it really matters anyway, like when I flank the enemy team to use my ult without telling them. Good riddance.”
At press time, Blizzard was reportedly planning to bring back healers for Overwatch Classic, which will be the exact same game as the original Overwatch and retail for seventy dollars.