Jeff Kaplan wishes he could retire Total Mayhem from OW Arcade mode

Olivia Richman Published 04/05/2019

Overwatch lead designer Jeff Kaplan is ashamed of his creation. 

A few days ago, one player took to the Overwatch forums to ask, “What does Jeff Kaplan have against Mayhem and No Limits?” 

The Overwatch fan said he usually plays arcade mode to “avoid losing friends in comp.” But he’s noticed that 1v1 Elimination is an arcade option “three to four times in on week” despite his observation that no one plays it. Instead, the gamer wanted to see Total Mayhem or No Limits pop up in Arcade mode more often. 

“Why doesn’t Jeff like Mayhem? Mayhem is the best,” the player concluded. 

Admist all of the ensuing forum debates, Kaplan actually responded to the OP. 

“I am extra critical of it because I literally implemented that mode (I don’t get to do a lot of implementation on the game anymore… and I miss it),” Kaplan said.

According to Blizzard’s vice president, Total Mayhem doesn’t play very well as it currently has a lot of issues. He noted that it should be in the custom games category instead, but he’s been hesitant to make the change because of the mode’s “popularity and legacy.” 

In fact, it was this popularity that made Kaplan upgrade Total Mayhem to Arcade mode in the first place. The Total Mayhem mode acts similarly to Quick Play, except each hero has double their normal health and all ability cooldowns are 75 percent faster than normal. Ultimates also charge 50 percent faster. These modifiers make Total Mayhem a little more chaotic, with many matches getting drawn out extensively.

With the introduction of Workshop mode, Overwatch players may soon be seeing a bit more variety in Arcade mode. Hero Gauntlet is currently available on PTR. 

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

View full profile

Read Also

Movies & TV

Will The Batman Part II Be Delayed Again? Zachary Roberts The Batman: Part II has already been delayed three times. It was supposed to come out this month, actually. Three delays later, though, and it's on the slate for February 2028, which would be almost six years to the month after the first movie. Is it going to be delayed again? Movie fans live in fear of that very thing in these uncertain times. Any piece of art, including video ...

Kick

Nigerian Musician Davido Joins Kick: Here’s What We Know Khizar Mundia Afrobeats star David “Davido” Adedeji Adeleke has joined livestreaming platform Kick and expressed his intention to begin a new part of his career. Kick has previously revealed that the platform has stepped back from signing streamers with large deals and also stopped encouraging gambling content. Both announcements were met with widely positive reactions, as there was much criticism regarding casino streaming and many people believed huge deals led to streamers ...

Dota 2

BLAST SLAM VIII Finals predictions and preview Michael Hassall It’s been a long road, but after a strangely-formatted group stage, and a decidedly anticlimactic playoffs, we’re down to the final three teams in BLAST SLAM VIII. The finals are today (Oct. 11) and we’ll see the premier teams in Dota 2 clash. Perhaps disappointingly, we’re not seeing a new wave of top-teams at the pinnacle of Dota 2 competition, with the three final teams being the same trio we’ve ...

Twitch

Kai Cenat Reveals Japan IRL Tour and Says He Wants To Go to Space Khizar Mundia Twitch star Kai Cenat has recently expanded his content to include IRL tours, and Japan is next on the list of places he will be heading it seems. The American kicked off his Exploring the Unexplored IRL series with Iceland, reportedly becoming the first streamer to broadcast from inside a volcano. This was a massive accomplishment, but just a few days later Cenat became embroiled in controversy with Reginald “Reggie” Travers. ...

News

NFL petitions U.S. Supreme Court for clarity on prediction markets Michael Hassall The heat is officially on for prediction market operators such as Kalshi and Polymarket as the NFL, one of the United States’ biggest sports leagues, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the classification of prediction markets. In a brief filed late on Thursday (Oct. 8), the National Football League (NFL) backed the state of New Jersey’s request for the U.S.’s highest legal entity to review whether ...

GTA

Lacy Reveals GTA 6 Marathon Plans and Monthly Income Breakdown Khizar Mundia Nick “Lacy” Fosco recently made headlines after announcing he would disable Twitch ads on his streams. Now, the streamer has revealed plans for an upcoming GTA 6 marathon, alongside a breakdown of his monthly earnings and expenses.. Lacy is in the news frequently, whether it's because of his relationship, drama with other streamers, or even leaving CORE. The creator recently also limited his Twitch ads significantly after starting, saying that ...

News

Crypto Casino Stake To Launch In Alberta, Canada Khizar Mundia Stake co-founder Eddie Craven made an X post announcing that the casino has secured licensing approval in Alberta, Canada, and will be launching its services in the new location imminently. Crypto casino Stake is one of the most popular gambling sites, with livestreaming platform Kick having been a major marketing force for it over the years. Both platforms are owned by co-founders Eddie Craven and Bijan Tehrani. While Kick has ...