Players, cosplayers, and esports professionals have eagerly awaited Overwatch 2 since its original announcement at Blizzcon in 2019. The teamwork-driven hero shooter became a huge hit worldwide thanks to its charming art style, memorable characters, and tight multiplayer gameplay. New playable character reveals and cinematic short films based on Overwatch's cast would often trend on the internet after release. The latest Overwatch 2 reveals look to keep that trend going.
After the cinematic announcement trailer for Overwatch 2 was released in 2019, there was a long period of silence regarding the sequel. However, within the last few months, fans have been given updates and reveals like Overwatch's new damage hero Sojourn. Players were able to take part in OW2's first beta this April, which gave them a hands-on preview with Sojourn, new maps, and the new 5v5 battles. Matches now contain two damage heroes, two supports, and one tank. This has helped the game flow faster rather than getting slowed down at chokepoints filled with potentially four clunky tank players.
The Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase Overwatch 2 trailer revealed that the free-to-play multiplayer will be launching on October 4th, 2022. While players are excited about the game's promised PvE story campaign missions, the decision to launch the game's multiplayer ahead of the PvE missions was announced in March. Still, Sunday's trailer gave players a preview of the new tank hero Junker Queen, new hero abilities, and new maps. After spending some time with the developers, it was clear that it was just a taste of what they have in store for fans.
Fresh off of the news that Overwatch 2 will be free-to-play, Blizzard invited Screen Rant for a preview session, detailing a roadmap of what fans can expect from OW2 when launches this October 4th. When Overwatch 2 launches, it will release six new maps, three new heroes, more than 30 new skins, and loads of cosmetics. Special unlockables can be earned with each season's Battle Pass, including new dynamic Mythic skins, which look to be a significant upgrade from OW's Legendary skins. The team is preparing to release more new content with its seasonal schedule, with each season lasting nine weeks.
Sojourn was unveiled in anticipation of Overwatch 2's first beta, and players will get the chance to try her out again when the second Overwatch 2 Beta becomes available for both PC and console players on June 28th. The beta will also let fans try out the new tank hero Junker Queen. She will be more of an offensive tank that can heal herself while delivering colossal damage. Another of her abilities will also prevent enemies from healing, an ability previously exclusive to Overwatch support hero Ana.
Speaking of support heroes, when Overwatch 2 launches, it will be launching with a third, as-yet-unannounced support hero. The devs teased that clues on the new hero could be hiding in the most recent Overwatch 2 trailers. Many fans believe it may be related to the adorable blue fox seen in a trailer leading players through magical gates that appear along a map's path. With one less tank on the team, support heroes are being worked on to be more effective and less squishy. The Overwatch team is currently working on balancing each hero so that the game can be both fair and fun, no matter which class players prefer to play with.
While many players are hesitant about Overwatch 2's switch to being F2P, the development team is confident that this new schedule will help them release far more content at a much more even pace when compared to launching a $60-70 game. Changes have been made to the game's engine to make it much easier for the team to update and make changes as necessary. This should help them release new Overwatch 2 content and implement patches faster than ever. Although PvE missions will not be launching until sometime in 2023, the Overwatch 2 roadmap reveals that fans will have a lot of game to enjoy while they wait.
The development team is excited to start moving the series' lore forward, too. While more information for the PvE campaign missions will be revealed at a later date, the 25,000 voice lines being recorded for the game will give players lots of extra lore to discover. Special dialogue lines will be triggered by specific actions, such as Junkrat saying a unique quip after scoring a long-distance kill against an ulting Reaper. This type of dialogue was previously exclusive to when teammates were preparing for a match, and is being expanded to be heard throughout the game.
Fans who haven't played Overwatch in a while will be able to play Overwatch 2 for free with friends since the game will allow cross-play and cross-progression across all platforms the first game is currently playable on. It was also crucial for the devs to ensure that all previous skins and unlockables will be easily transferable when the Overwatch multiplayer shifts to Overwatch 2 mode on October 4th. The developers want players to feel like there are always more things to unlock, and the new seasonal model looks like it will deliver what fans have wanted for years: more and innovative Overwatch content to spend hours on with friends. More information can be found on the official Play Overwatch website.
Overwatch 2 will be available on October 14, 2022, on PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Screen Rant was invited to attend a private preview presentation for the purpose of this article.
Editor’s Note: A lawsuit has been filed against Activision Blizzard by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which alleges the company has engaged in abuse, discrimination, and retaliation against its female employees. Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations. The full details of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit (content warning: rape, suicide, abuse, harassment) are being updated as new information becomes available.
With Overwatch 2's free-to-play multiplayer launching in October, fans will see new heroes, maps, and unlockables to earn with each new season.Jason Hon