A few weeks ago, the Overwatch community was at a tipping point. It had been years since the game saw a new hero, seasonal events were getting more sparse with each iteration, and some of the last content creators still focused on it were on the verge of giving up. Fans had been told all of this deprivation was in the name of one thing: making Overwatch 2.
The “sequel” had debuted long ago at this point. Since then, most of the news coming out of Blizzard hadn’t been good. Not only did iconic Overwatch team lead Jeff Kaplan depart, but Blizzard was in the midst of numerous apparent attempts to clean up a toxic and hostile workplace culture. Despite the focus of this turmoil centering on other portions of the company, rumors claim Overwatch 2’s development was still heavily impacted.
Overwatch 2’s first beta had propped up hopes for the game, but that goodwill was running out by the time Blizzard announced an “Overwatch 2 Reveal Event” for June 16. Suddenly, there was hope for real, concrete news on new in-game heroes, new cosmetic content, and, most importantly, a firm release date. Players eagerly awaited the coming of this date…and then Microsoft came along a couple of days before it and drank Blizzard’s milkshake by revealing not only the first new hero seen in years, but an October 4, 2022 release date for Overwatch 2 during its Xbox + Bethesda showcase.
More: Everything Microsoft revealed at its 2022 Xbox & Bethesda Showcase
Of course, Overwatch 2 was just one of the many games shown off. Despite the fact that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard remains in progress, the inclusion of it alongside another major segment on Diablo IV showed the company’s depth of commitment to showing off Blizzard’s IPs right alongside the likes of Bethesda’s Starfield or its own Forza series. Still, there wasn’t nearly enough time to slake the thirsts of Overwatch fans that had been in that aforementioned drought for so very long. That’s where today’s Reveal Event comes in…
Blizzard’s infographic detailing the game’s content roadmap through the rest of this year and beyond Blizzard
What’s coming at launch?
Despite the event video running just a bit over 30 minutes, Blizzard managed to pack in more Overwatch news than it had released in the past several years. First, and most important of it all was what players could expect at launch.
Overwatch 2 will be a “free to play, live-service” game. This phrase was uttered more frequently than any other during the presentation, and it was likely music to the ears of beleaguered fans of the franchise. While the original Overwatch grew stagnant, games like Fortnite and Apex Legends had seen constant and plentiful updates, adding new characters, maps, skins, and more. Blizzard wanted to make it very clear that anyone envious of those other titles could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Of course, this means that Overwatch 2’s content won’t all be available at launch, but will be released over time using a new season system (more on that later). So, what will be available at launch?
The Junker Queen, one of 3 new heroes available at launch, challenging her predecessor in the new “Wastelander” cinematic that reveals her origin story Blizzard
3 new heroes
This includes Sojourn, a Damage hero from the first beta; Junker Queen (AKA: Odessa “Dez” Stone), a new Tank that will be playable during the second beta on June 28; and an unnamed Support character that will almost certainly be the long-rumored “Kanezaka fox girl” the community has been theorizing about since the hints to her existence appeared in the Kanezaka map. Those theories exploded when a spirit fox could be seen seemingly buffing a team in the trailer for this event.
The new Rio map as seen during a previous Overwatch 2 event Blizzard
6 new maps
Blizzard hadn’t revealed the full slate of maps that would be included at the time of writing, but some quick match suggests this list includes the four maps from the first beta–New York, Rome, Toronto, and Monte Carlo–as well as the Rio map teased for the second beta during the reveal event, and likely the new map set in Portugal that was also hinted at being playable soon, during this event.
New “Push” game mode
This mode was already available in the first beta. It focuses on controlling a single, large robot (Omnic?) that pushes a pair of barriers along pre-determined routes. The team that manages to push their barrier to the end first wins. If neither reaches the end before time’s up, the team that went furthest takes victory instead.
Concept art for the first Mythic skin for Genji, including 3 swappable color pallets for it Blizzard
30+ Skins, including the first “Mythic” quality skin
More than 30 new skins for the game’s heroes will be available on October 4, including the game’s first “Mythic” skin, a cyberpunk-inspired, demonic-looking cosmetic that heavily changes the look of the game’s resident cyborg ninja, Genji. Apparently, this skin, and all Mythic skins, will be customizable, allowing players to change the included colors using swappable palettes.
Concept art for the new weapon charm cosmetic category, including a fox-like charm that might be yet another hint at the new Support hero mentioned above Blizzard
Other new cosmetics
Several completely new classes of cosmetic unlocks will join the existing roster. Alongside new highlight intros, sprays, and emotes, players will now also be able to unlock weapon charms and banners their hero can plant in game.
Genetically-modified hamster Hammond lifting his Wrecking Ball mech in what’s very likely a new highlight intro cosmetic Blizzard
What about after launch?
As mentioned, Blizzard clearly wanted to communicate that this new launch will be the start of a long-term commitment to keeping Overwatch 2 content flowing. To that end, it revealed two more phases of new content coming to the game. The first will be the launch of Season 2 on December 6, 2022. This will be the first of the nine-week seasons that will define the game’s release schedule after October 4. Blizzard promised that every other new season will include a new hero, with new maps being released between them. Each will also come with at least one new Mythic skin, and a slew of other lower-tier skins and cosmetics along for the ride.
Season 2
First up for Season 2 on December 6 is:
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A new tank hero – We know basically nothing about who this might be. Will it be Mauga from Baptiste’s backstory? The beefy-looking Omnic from the end of the “Storm Rising” cinematic? Another member of Meka Squad? Your guess is as good as mine.
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A new map – This one’s also a mystery. If the newly-revealed Portugal map does drop with the initial release, this might be one of the other maps we’ve seen teased or a completely new locale.
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30+ new skins with another Mythic skin– Another batch of more than 30 skins, including an unknown Mythic skin will drop with this season as well.
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A new Battle Pass system – As just about everyone in the know expected, Overwatch 2 will ditch the first game’s loot boxes in favor of a classic live-service game Battle Pass system. Overwatch’s take on the season-long, progression-based unlocks will include its full range of cosmetics. Blizzard also noted that this system will support “cross-progression,” meaning players can contribute to the same account’s seasonal progress via console or PC, for the first time. Additional details on what’s included in the the first battle pass can be seen below in the “When can I play?” section as part of our coverage of the just-revealed Overwatch 2: Watchpoint Pack.
The Rio map as seen during an older PVE mission demo Blizzard
PVE
Following Season 2, Overwatch 2 will move into 2023 with plans for additional new heroes, new game modes, new maps, and over 100 skins to be released during the calendar year. Most importantly, 2023 will also see the debut of Overwatch 2’s first PVE missions.
These missions will see members of Overwatch and its evil counterpart Talon taking on AI-controlled opponents in scenarios similar to previous PVE seasonal events like Retribution and Storm Rising. Blizzard confirmed during the presentation that these new missions would “move the overall story forward.”
Early entries look poised to focus on the new battle against Null Sector, an ascendant faction of Omnics looking to start a second uprising. Looking further forward, the team behind the PVE missions expects to “close off existing stories” and “ask new questions” leading to completely new storylines.
Tank hero Orisa showing off her redesigned Overwatch 2 skin and one of her new abilities Blizzard
What else was revealed?
Aside from the flood of new info on PVP, new heroes, and the introduction of cross-progression, Blizzard also teased its long-promised Competitive mode revamp.
During a section titled “Competitive 2.0,” the company showed off the revamped in-game scoreboard that was seen in the first beta, and revealed that it will soon dovetail with a new “after-action report” that details the player’s performance during the match on a more granular level than anything previously available. Blizzard hopes this will help players improve their game by showing where their strengths and weaknesses are.
Alongside this, Overwatch 2 will also see its competitive ranking systems revamped. New tiers will be introduced to further break down a player’s accomplishments. This means those at the top of the Master tier, for instance, will be differentiated from those on the verge of dropping down into the Diamond tier below. Numerical SR ratings also appear to be going away, although the details of this remain somewhat fuzzy.
The Space Raider Soldier 76 and Space Raider Cassidy skins available in the $40 Overwatch 2: Watchpoint Pack Blizzard
When can I play?
The next beta kicks off on June 28. Sign-ups are open for it right now on the Overwatch 2 website. You’ll be asked to choose just one platform you’d like to play on during the second beta. Unlike the first, this one is also open to console players on Xbox and Playstation. The Switch version of Overwatch is not supported at this time.
Unfortunately, having gotten into the first beta does not guarantee you access to the second. It also remains to be seen if Blizzard will have an event on Twitch where players can earn their way in by watching streams, as they did the first time around.
The company did say they will select “a small group of players when the beta goes live on June 28 at 11:00 AM PDT and will steadily add more players over time as we ramp up capacity.” Additional waves of access grants will follow beginning on July 5.
Apparently, players will also be able to buy their way into the beta this time around. The sign-up page’s FAQ section notes “Players who purchase the Overwatch 2: Watchpoint Pack on a platform on which the beta is available will be granted immediate beta access as soon as the Overwatch 2 Beta launches on June 28 at 11:00 AM PT, or whenever the Watchpoint Pack is purchased after the Beta kicks off.”
The Overwatch 2: Watchpoint Pack wasn’t mentioned during the presentation,but was posted on Blizzard’s website afterwards. The pack contains the aforementioned beta access, two legendary skins (Space Raider Soldier 76 and Space Raider Cassidy), a Premium Battle Pass for Season 1 (confirming there will be some form of paid tier for each season’s battle pass), 2000 of Overwatch 2’s new virtual currency (usable for purchasing in-game cosmetics), an exclusive Overwatch 2 player icon, and the Legendary Edition of Overwatch, which is playable immediately.
