The cyborg ninja Genji is without a doubt one of the most loved and hated characters in “Overwatch.” Over the course of months, this character has undergone various changes and/or nerfs. Regardless, the community still longs for his balance improvements.
It is interesting to know why Genji, of all characters in “Overwatch,” is always a topic of discussion in the community. After all, there are other heroes in the game worth discussing for. It seems players want something out of him, but they cannot exactly tell what it is. Interestingly, Blizzard has offered their own thoughts towards the former Shimada clan member.
What makes the hero difficult to balance
The aforementioned character is known for high mobility playstyle and disrupting damage. His skills are enough to make him the most feared hero in the game. However, his skill ceiling, deemed the highest in the roster, also makes him a difficult character to balance. Blizzard knows this, thus they want the fandom to understand why they cannot just simply impose stability.
The studio specified that Genji’s double jump, in particular, is the main reason why balancing him in “Overwatch” is quite a struggle. In a video interview with Ars Technica, the game’s very lead designer Geoff Goodman admitted that this skill is what he regrets the most. “He’s just so everywhere all the time,” he said.
Goodman explained that the double jump allows the character to be “nimble and great,” but it is also a roadblock to his supposed balance changes.
Genji’s nerf history
Goodman did not iterate what sort of changes they would have made to the “Overwatch” hero if the skill was not present at all. It holds true that the character faced a lot of changes lately, with the ability to attack after a wall climb being the most notable.
This, among others, made him the most mobile hero in the game. But due to the complaints and/or requests from the community, Blizzard opted to remove it.
Even with the various nerfs Genji received, he was still one of them most played DPS “Overwatch” characters the previous Competitive Play season. He was just in fact behind Pharah and Soldier: 76.
While others were happy with the changes, some (Genji mains the most) were not.
They believe that if these changes are going to be introduced at a frequency higher than the past, they might as well remove the hero from the game. It is true, though: the cyborg ninja has acquired countless nerfs in the recent months. Perhaps it is time for the studio to put their focus and efforts on other characters in the game.
