Recently, the folks over at Blizzard announced some major changes to Overwatch 2’s PvP structure, further differentiating the game from the original title. The two most notable changes are the drop from 6-person teams to 5-person teams as well as the implementation of Role Passives, both of which are designed to help streamline the flow of battle. Dropping to 5-person teams means nixing one of the tank role slots, though, which has caused several Overwatch pro players to speak out in concern for their job security.

Following the recent Overwatch 2 announcement via the PvP livestream shown above, several tank players took to social media to express concern for their positions with their eSports teams. Philadelphia Fusion player Poko is just one of many to do so (H/T: IGN), asking their followers if any fellow tank players were “scared for their job.”

Any fellow tank player scared for their job ?

— Poko (@poko) May 20, 2021

Vancouver Titans tank player frdwnr also took to social media to condemn the way Blizzard handled the announcement. “Unbelievably disrespectful to make this decision and completely remove a role that people gave up years of their lives to achieve,” frdwnr said. “Not all your favorite tank players will disappear but lots will. and not once were pro players made aware of this or asked on their philosophies.”

At the end of the day, I don’t give a shit about casual. if it’s more fun or it works out w/e. but the fact that many of my friends or people I admire will be out of jobs is just disrespectful.”

It should be noted that Blizzard doesn’t actually ‘owe’ anything to its pro players, though said players are also what help drive interest and excitement for the game, which makes it more of a symbiotic relationship than Blizzard has repeatedly been unwilling to admit. It’ll be interesting to see if Blizzard decides to address the negative feedback regarding the PvP changes, but in the meantime these pro tank players worried about being left out in the cold may need to look into diversifying. As someone who personally one-tricks a particular role in a MOBA, that’s not an easy thing to consider.

Overwatch 2 is currently in development.

Thoughts on Blizzard’s announced PvP changes? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!