After years of leaks and convincing rumors, Blizzard Entertainment has finally announced its next chapter with Overwatch 2. That’s right, it’s official, and while it may not be on the shelves for a while, we’re extremely excited. Overwatch 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the 2016 team-based shooter, a title considered to be one of the best multiplayer games on the market.
It features fresh new PvP modes, maps, heroes, cosmetic items, and most importantly, a story mode said to evolve the story of Overwatch. As a team-based first-person shooter that focuses on a player-versus-player experience, most of the story is told outside of the game. With this upcoming sequel, we’re hoping that will change as Blizzard finally expands on the story of Overwatch in-game.
As we’ve been given so much information on this upcoming Blizzard shooter, we’ve done the hard job of gathering everything you need to know about Overwatch 2 after the BlizzCon 2019 announcement. When we hear more news in the (hopefully) near future, we’ll update this article to keep you up-to-date with the latest on the sequel to Overwatch.
Overwatch 2 Story: What is Overwatch 2?
Over the last five years, Blizzard has told the story of Overwatch through comic books, novels, adorable animated videos, voice lines and hero interactions. Since its release, those who have invested time in the Overwatch lore have been praying that Blizzard will finally move forward with the story, especially in-game.
As to be expected, a game that solely focuses on a player-versus-player experience doesn’t allow much opportunity to tell an intricate story, which is where Overwatch 2 comes into play.
Overwatch 2 is an upcoming sequel to the 2015 team-based multiplayer FPS that includes co-op missions whereupon four players battle against Null Sector, an Omnic extremist group established in London. These missions are said to further develop the story of Overwatch, something that fans have been hoping to see for years.
Similar to a single-player game where the user is directed through a particular story and experience, co-op missions in Overwatch 2 are player-versus-environment (PvE). Furthermore, the sequel will stick with some of the same multiplayer modes found in the original game while including updated character designs and brand-new game modes.
Which leads to the question: What will happen to the loyal players of the original Overwatch game? Where do those who have dedicated time, money and effort into Overwatch stand when the sequel is released? As the only additional features included in Overwatch 2 appear to be story-based missions and co-op, the player-versus-player (PvP) game modes will be compatible with the first Overwatch game.
Consequently, players from Overwatch and Overwatch 2 will be able to play together. In a nutshell, Overwatch 2 is less of a traditional sequel and more of an expansion to the original that focuses on PvE missions.
Overwatch 2 Gameplay
Team vs Team
As with the first game, Team vs Team remains in Overwatch 2, allowing players to select their favourite heroes each with their own unique abilities, a feature found in some of the best Battle Royale games currently on the market. Only this time, a new game mode has been added.
Push is a brand-new, symmetrical map type where teams must fight to take control of a robot before pushing it towards the enemy base. The first team that manages to push the robot furthest into enemy territory before the time limit ends wins the game.
As well as this brand-new game mode, Blizzard has announced that some iconic international locations will appear in Overwatch 2, from the cold climate of Toronto to the brightly-colored streets of Rio de Janeiro. In the unfamiliar and diverse range of locations, we’re hoping to discover new secrets, objectives, and strategies, as seen in the original game.
As to be expected, we’ve been promised some more maps inspired by various locations around the world, so we’re looking forward to seeing what new maps will come to Overwatch 2.
In an attempt to keep the players of the first game in the loop, users who do not wish to buy Overwatch 2 will still be able to play all of the new PvP modes, maps, and heroes. “Current Overwatch players will battle side-by-side with Overwatch 2 players in PvP multiplayer; they’ll also be able to play Overwatch 2 heroes and maps,” said the developer.
Not only that, but all of your accomplishments and loot collections from the first game will be carried over to the sequel. “Additionally, any unlocks that Overwatch players earn on their accounts will be transferred to the sequel, which means players will keep their skins, player icons, sprays, emotes, and more.”
Co-op Missions
After goofing on the recent leaks regarding Overwatch 2 during BlizzCon 2019, creative director, Jaff Kaplan, spoke about the game in more detail. As with the first game, Overwatch 2 remains as a multiplayer first-person shooter, although you won’t only be fighting against other players in this upcoming sequel.
Instead, users will also have the opportunity to work together in Story Missions as they unlock the next chapter of the Overwatch story. In the action-packed story missions, four-players will have to work together in order to fight back against Null Sector, unveiling the reasons behind the Omnic attacks as they come face-to-face with increasing new threats.
PvE continues in co-op Hero Missions where players will be able to make use of the new talents system as they level up their favourite heroes to help beat the odds. In the Overwatch 2 gameplay trailer shown at BlizzCon 2019, we got to see one example of a talent that showed a modified Pulse Bomb that causes a chain reaction, allowing Tracer to destroy multiple enemies at once.
Along with talents, you will be able to unlock unique customization options that modify your in-game abilities as you go head-to-head with a wide array of diverse and harmful enemies. With this game mode, Blizzard plans to keep players coming back by frequently changing the missions with the intention of keeping things fresh.
Visual Evolution: A New Look
Besides all of the new game modes and exciting new heroes, Overwatch 2 advances the look and feel of the world around you, including the atmospheric effects and even the heroes. That’s right, all of the heroes in Overwatch 2—old and new—will have a brand-new default look with “greater detail and higher fidelity.” Whilst some of the changes to the heroes are obvious, others are fairly subtle and less noticeable.
You can take a look at some of the new base character models for yourself on the Overwatch 2 section of the official Blizzard website. At this moment in time, Blizzard hasn’t exhibited the new default look for all of the heroes in Overwatch 2, so we’ll simply have to wait and see how they all turn out when the game is finally released.
Overwatch 2 Release Date
Considering Blizzard only officially revealed Overwatch 2 a year ago at BlizzCon 2019, we can safely assume that the game is still in early development. As this is the case, Blizzard still doesn’t know when Overwatch 2 will release to the public. During the Overwatch 2 reveal presentation, creative director, Jeff Kaplan, spoke about the unknown release date:
“I don’t know. I have no idea. Like, just let us make it great, that’s what we care about more than anything. We don’t have a date in mind.”
In spite of the fact that Blizzard does not yet have an official date for Overwatch 2, there are a number of rumors swirling around the internet that we have covered later in this guide.
What Platforms Will Overwatch 2 Be Available On?
As with the original game, we expect Overwatch 2 to be released on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC (Microsoft Windows). Following the initial release of the game, we also hope to see Overwatch 2 on some next-gen consoles such as the PS5 and Xbox Series X, although nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
What platforms would you like to see Overwatch 2 on? Feel free to let us know in the comments below! We’d love to know what you think.
How Much Will Overwatch 2 Cost?
As the game is still in the early stages of development, it is far too early to put a price on Overwatch 2. Having said that, we can currently predict that the game could cost anywhere between $30 and $100+ depending on the editions available at launch. At this very moment, if you head on over to the official Blizzard online shop and attempt to purchase Overwatch, you will be presented with two different editions of the game.
Of these two variants, the Standard Edition is priced at a very friendly $19.99, while the Legendary Edition will cost you $39.99. If you’re willing to pay a premium price for some premium exclusives, then you may be able to pick up the sold-out Collector’s Edition of Overwatch which will set you back around $99.99.
If Blizzard decides to drop a Collector’s Edition for Overwatch 2, we expect it to be priced anywhere around the $100 mark depending on the items included in the box.
Overwatch 2 Trailers
Overwatch 2 was officially unveiled last year at BlizzCon 2019 by creative director Jaff Kaplan. During the presentation, the team revealed a stunning cinematic alongside a gameplay trailer for its upcoming first-person shooter. Both trailers had fans (including myself) on the edge of their seats as they took their first look at what Overwatch 2 has to offer. You can watch both of them down below:
Overwatch 2 Announcement Cinematic Trailer | “Zero Hour”
During BlizzCon 2019, Blizzard revealed an 8-minute cinematic announcement trailer for Overwatch 2 titled “Zero Hour”. In the trailer, we get to see some classic heroes return as Winston gathers a small strike team to fight off the Null Sector invasion in Paris.
Why is the Null Sector attacking at this very moment? Nobody knows. What we do, however, is that the people on the ground need their help.
Overwatch 2 Gameplay Trailer
Within the same presentation, Blizzard also unveiled a 3-minute gameplay trailer for Overwatch 2. In the short-yet-charming gameplay video, the team showcases pretty much everything that’s coming to Overwatch 2. We got to take a peek at the story, some brand-new locations, a PvE mode known as Push, and a new hero known as Sojourn. We highly recommend taking a look at the full video for yourself down below:
Overwatch 2: News, Rumours and Features
As with pretty much every upcoming game on the market, there are plenty of rumours surrounding Overwatch 2 that are swirling around the internet on an almost-weekly basis. As this is the case, we here at Game Gavel have collected and compiled all of the latest news and rumors surrounding Overwatch 2.
In addition to this, we have also listed some of the new features that will be included in this upcoming Blizzard game so that you’re up-to-date with the latest on Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2 Release Date Leaked?
Back in January 2020, the official PlayStation Brazil Twitter account seemingly leaked the release date for Overwatch 2 in a Tweet that read:
“2020 will be the year that Overwatch 2 arrives on PS4, and to prepare, we talked to some of its developers, who gave us hot information.“
Soon after, the official Overwatch League team known as the Vancouver Titans went to Twitter to write the same thing. As with the Tweet made by PlayStation Brazil, this was later removed from Twitter but was quickly captured by fans across the globe. With that being said, since Blizzard hasn’t made an official announcement regarding the Tweets, we advise you to take this rumour with a pinch of salt before getting your hopes up.
Michael Chu Has Officially Left Blizzard
Earlier this month, lead writer Michael Chu officially announced his departure from Blizzard Entertainment after 20-years at the studio. As many of you may be aware, Chu was responsible for most of Overwatch’s lore and the story outside of the game.
On March 11th, Chu officially announced his departure on his blog before posting about it on Twitter:
“Now, as I head out through the Blizzard doors for the last time, I have new dreams: to continue to tell these stories and build worlds that unite people through games. To help create an inclusive world where more people will want to share stories that reflect their own experiences. I hope it’s something we can build together.”
Michael Chu was responsible for most of the origin stories for countless heroes in Overwatch, which is exactly why many dedicated fans want to know how this may influence the development of Overwatch 2. Especially considering the sequel focuses on story missions alongside various multiplayer game modes. In an interview with PCGamer, Blizzard responded to Michael Chu’s announcement with the following statement:
“We’re incredibly grateful to Michael for his contributions, and his presence at Blizzard will be missed. We’re not anticipating an impact to our plans for Overwatch 2. The game’s development is a massive collaborative effort involving talented people across multiple teams, all with a shared commitment to the values of Overwatch and the vision for Overwatch 2. We’re working hard to create an epic, story-driven experience for players, and we can’t wait to share more.”
Brand New Heroes in Overwatch 2
Aside from all of the fun new story-focused missions and exciting PvP modes, Blizzard has confirmed the addition of some brand-new heroes in its upcoming expansion. The first of the new heroes is Sojourn, a character that many of the devoted Overwatch fans may remember from the very beginning.
If you don’t, she can be seen in one of the animated shorts from as early as 2016 and, according to Jeff Kaplan in a 2019 developer update, has been in development since 2015:
“I think Sojourn—we started development on her in, I wanna say, 2015. It might have even been [in] 2014. Some heroes are new-ish—like Orisa was very new when we sort of released her and came up with her.”
At this very moment, we don’t know much about Sojourn aside from the fact that she’s Canadian, although her design and weapon may suggest that she’s a damage hero. Another thing we can assume from the gameplay trailer is that she’s a mobility hero who can slide and spring around the map before destroying her enemies with ease. One thing we can say for sure is that she’s an important part of the Overwatch organization:
“She’s a central figure to the Overwatch organization, and a critical character moving forward,” said Michael Chu in an interview with PlayStation Blog. “She’s made appearances in different stories we’ve told lately, but she will be extremely important to the events that take place in Overwatch 2 and we are so excited to finally be able to tell her story.”
But Sojourn isn’t the only newcomer to Overwatch. After teasing the new character in the Reunion cinematic trailer released back in 2018, Blizzard has officially revealed Overwatch’s next new hero. Echo is an advanced Omnic created by Dr. Mina Liao, a scientist known for being one of the six founding members of Overwatch.
If you can’t wait to try out this brand-new hero for yourself, then you’ll be happy to know that Echo has now been added to the original game for PC players in the public test region (PTR) to have fun with. At this very moment, there’s no specific date for a release on the main server or console.
Upon discovering her hero role, many fans were understandably disappointed by the announcement of yet another damage-focused hero in Overwatch. Be that as it may, if you prefer to play the role of a Tank or Support hero, all hope is not lost.
In an interview with Polygon, Jeff Kaplan spoke about the development of new heroes in Overwatch 2:
“We have a number of new heroes in development. We have multiple tanks, and we have multiple supports in development. But after Echo, the team is going to be heavily focused on Overwatch 2 development.”
Overwatch 2 Might Not Feature Loot Boxes
In a recent interview with PCGamesN, game director, Jeff Kaplan, discussed how the team working on Overwatch 2 is currently exploring monetization models for the game:
“Well, we have made a lot of changes to loot boxes and how they work over the years, so we’re definitely open to change. Overwatch 2, in terms of business model, we’re exploring different options that move us away from loot boxes, but I think that will be more for Overwatch 2 than the core game. I would never rule anything out.”
In response to the same question, Kaplan mentioned that he also thinks battle passes are a great idea:
“I think battle passes are cool. Putting monetisation to the side, a battle pass is a fun engagement mechanism. If you look at a game like Diablo 3, they have what’s called the Season Journey, which is, in essence, a battle pass.”
Even if the team working on Overwatch 2 doesn’t implement something similar in the near future, it’s great to hear what the creative director at Blizzard thinks of battle passes.
Conclusion
Now that Overwatch 2 is finally in the works, we’re hoping that the new co-op missions will help to further progress the story of Overwatch. If you still haven’t gotten around to playing the original game, then we highly recommend perfecting your skills before the sequel is released. This way, you’ll be ahead of the competition as you face players from across the globe in the player-versus-player game modes.
To further improve your chances of winning, we suggest taking a look at our guide to the best gaming mouse for Overwatch. After all, no one wants to lose a game over poor peripherals. That’s right, I’m talking directly to those of you who still use an office mouse to game and wonder why you can’t accurately gun down enemies!