Blizzard announced a round of experiments for Overwatch. In the 2nd half of Season 3 (S3) the team will run two test weekends in the Quick Play Hacked mode — and yes, matches will be 6v6 again after a long stretch of 5v5.
This is meant as testing, not as a staged move to change the core format. The devs say they want to check whether returning to six players can make fights feel livelier and, hopefully, more balanced.
Their concern: in the 5v5 setup one tank often carries outsized influence. That can lead to stress for players. It results in frequent, sometimes forced hero swaps. Team compositions end up skewed in predictable ways. The idea is that an extra tank could blunt some of those extremes — calm down the chaos of team fights and cut down on truly one-sided matches.
Blizzard also reminded the community that temporary modes have served as testbeds before; e.g., selectable passive abilities from earlier tests eventually fed into the Perks system. Still, the studio is careful to note that a successful test does not automatically mean 6v6 returns. Collected data might be used simply to refine current modes or to inspire something new.