Agenda

Running a live-service game is one of the toughest challenges in development. In this session, Aaron Keller, Game Director of Overwatch, shares the lessons Blizzard learned the hard way about sustaining and evolving a large-scale live game. Drawing from Overwatch's transformation, Keller explores how Team 4 analyzed the game's position in the market, identified the needs of a mastery-driven audience, and turned experimentation into a repeatable process for change. He discusses how bold, analysis-driven updates, improved reward systems, and consistent communication helped rebuild player confidence and deepen engagement. The talk offers concrete insights for any developer managing a live-service title — from reading your players to turning every update into a learning opportunity.

Takeaway

Attendees learn actionable methods for running and evolving live-service titles. Aaron Keller details Blizzard's approach to analyzing player behavior, using in-game experimentation as a design tool, and aligning updates with audience motivations. The session offers real examples from Overwatch on balancing innovation with consistency to sustain engagement and system health over time.

Intended Audience

This session targets developers, producers, and designers working on live-service or community-driven games. Attendees benefit from understanding how large-scale teams sustain engagement and adapt to player feedback. No specific prerequisite knowledge is required—only experience or interest in systems design, live operations, or long-term product development.