[andrewzah]

> just like they allowed Overwatch to take from TF2's player base back in 2016

Overwatch isn't really taking TF2's crowd though. On the surface they're similar, but mechanically they are worlds apart. Overwatch is highly polished; TF2 is downright clunky by comparison. But it allows custom servers and player scripting/mods. Blizzard is far too tight-fisted for that to realistically happen for Overwatch. TF2 also has all kinds of interesting movement mechanics due to the source engine, that overwatch just really doesn't have. Overwatch's format of merely 6-person teams means you can't really goof around like you can with TF2's 12 and 16-person teams.

I'm sure a lot of players checked out overwatch but didn't stop playing TF2 as they're simply very different games. TF2 also did release major updates albeit infrequently until the jungle inferno update back in ~2017. Now it's just radio silence apart from small seasonal updates.

I'm not as familiar with CS (only played a few dozen cs:go matches), but just from playing both that and valorant I feel like it's going to be a similar situation. Valorant is more polished but it just plays wildly different due to the player abilities.

Valve is neglectful regarding these games (look at how DotA 2 is treated by comparison), but I doubt trying to compete would've helped very much.

[charcircuit]

There were people from TF2's competitive scene which is also 6v6 who left to go play Overwatch since there was actual money to be made since Blizzard was funding prize pools.

[klohto]

Almost whole competitive scene (already dying thanks to Valve) of TF2 migrated to Overwatch the moment it was available. When the pro players migrated, so did the casuals.

Overwatch can be a different game now, but when it started it had a huge community that resembled TF2 at the start. It wasn’t at all about the mechanics.

[Gaelan]

> But it allows custom servers and player scripting/mods. Blizzard is far too tight-fisted for that to realistically happen for Overwatch.

Overwatch got the Workshop in 2019, which, while a fairly limited visual programming thingamajig, still allows for some pretty impressive stuff.

[MonsterBurger]

There are some incredibly creative mini games and training scenarios. Very impressive stuff.

[PoignardAzur]

Anecdotally speaking, I stopped playing TF2 a few months before Overwatch came out, and playing Overwatch has killed any interest I might have in getting back to TF2. I don't think I'm an outlier.

The games aren't that dissimilar.