As BlizzCon approached, so did rumors of Overwatch 2. Blizzard constantly hinted at new content for the franchise and industry professionals gave tips of huge announcements happening at the convention. Well, it’s finally here! Overwatch 2 has been announced.
The news was dropped during one of the Overwatch panels at BlizzCon 2019. First, a cinematic that was over eight minutes long was shown. Much like some rumors noted, it featured characters like Winston, Mei, and Tracer. Most notable were all the new character’s new looks. They’re subtle changes but are different enough to give them an updated feel.
The animation was followed by a gameplay teaser detailing the new features. The original Overwatch came out almost five years ago and it’s never gotten an overhaul like this. Jeff Kaplan (president of Blizzard), in reference to the game, promised that fans will get to see new maps, games modes and, most importantly, heroes.
Kaplan emphasized that Overwatch’s main focus is being a 6 v 6 experience and it doesn’t want to lose that. To keep that spirit, 2 has introduced a core competitive game mode called “Push.” Push will be played in quick play, competitive and by the Overwatch League. Kaplan also briefly spoke about the Toronto map - the first map to take place in Canada.
One of the biggest things people have been interested in for Overwatch is more story-driven aspects. Kaplan said that the sequel will deliver on that plus PvE content. There will be a complete story experience with story missions, the first called “Rio de Janeiro.” There will be hero missions that are cooperative and “highly replayable.” A new progression system will allow players to level up each hero. This includes the newest addition the lineup, Sojourn. Kaplan noted that more heroes would definitely be on the way.
Most notable is that Overwatch won’t completely die with the introduction of Overwatch 2. Overwatch players will have access to all the new maps and characters featured in the second installment. All Overwatch cosmetics and stickers will transfer over to the next game as well. Blizzard aims to create “a shared multiplayer environment” where old players won’t get left behind.
Currently, there isn’t a release date for Overwatch 2. We also don’t know what the price point is, either. At this stage, Overwatch 2 feels more like an expansion of the current Overwatch as opposed to a new game. Many fans are still disappointed with Blizzard’s handling of the situation with Blitzchung so that may have a possible effect on how well Overwatch 2 does.
Blizzard is still planning to release more information about the newest heroes and mechanics during the rest of BlizzCon.
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