Blizzcon is here, and the “predictions” of what will happen in Blizzcon were realized. Overwatch 2 is indeed real but offers no real concrete evidence as of now. However, Blizzard did upload the Overwatch 2 announcement cinematic trailer.
Let’s have a watch down here.
In this trailer, it summarizes that the old Overwatch heroes are gone, and only a few remain. Of course, there are newcomers and returning heroes as well – like Mei and Echo. Some existing heroes got a fresh new look, as Genji is now wearing a cybernetic hoodie or some sort. Tracer got a fresh new pair of goggles too.
Reinhardt is now much older than how he looks currently in the game, as his hair and beard has turned completely white. Both Brigette and Mercy has the same design as what they have now – at least from what we can see.
How about the game itself?
Currently, Overwatch 2 is still in development. The website, Play Overwatch, has been updated to highlight what to expect on this upcoming sequel. So far, as for game modes, we have the classic team vs. team that we have now, also co-op missions, like the Overwatch Archives event missions that we have.
Blizzard does explicitly say one thing – all accomplishments and loot collections will be carried forward to Overwatch 2. All of the skins, sprays, emotes will be carried forward to Overwatch 2.
Blizzard also updated the timeline, which places Overwatch 2 in the latest timeline of events.
In terms of gameplay, it is once again about Null Sector. The official gameplay trailer is showing off the co-op missions only. Many more heroes are shown here – like Zenyatta and a newly redesigned Lucio. Villains such as Doomfist and Widowmaker have returned as well. They also teased a new hero with no names mentioned.
And the trailer also showed off a skill tree, which allows even more customizability of your favorite heroes.
Is it paid or free? Expansion or standalone game?
We have no idea if the game acts as an expansion pack/DLC to the existing Overwatch 1 or a new standalone game. We also do not know if Overwatch 2 is free or locked behind a paywall.
From the looks of it, it seems that Overwatch 2 will be a free expansion for those who bought the original Overwatch. This is deduced from the “buy Overwatch” button at the end of the official website, which brings us to the page to buy the original Overwatch 1 game instead. This is most definitely the most sensible way to proceed with the game as it is fair for those who bought the original Overwatch 1 – especially on the Nintendo Switch.
However, we are unable to confirm this as of now. We will continue to update this page when we have more information.
Release date?
Once again, no idea. The official website just states that it is currently in development, with the tagline “the dawn of a new Overwatch”. Let’s see how things turn out.
