An Obituary For Overwatch

As a result, most of my Overwatch group began to fall off of the game since it was beginning to feel stagnant. It was no longer an evolving experience that was exciting and fresh. Instead, it was a game that was stuck in a holding pattern waiting for its sequel to come and revitalize


After the fancy new animated trailer was shown off at Blizzcon, Kaplan started listing off all the goodies players would get with Overwatch 2 . Echo and Sojourn, along with possibly four more unannounced heroes would join the roster, new maps based in Toronto, Gothenburg, Monte Carlo, and Rio De Janeiro would be available, and there would be a new game mode called Push. Perhaps the most important new addition is the co-op story mode, which will finally allow fans of the series' lore to play through narrative PVE missions with their favorite charact


But once the sequel was announced the well started to dry up. We used to get three new heroes every year. In 2020, we only got Echo and she was confirmed to be the last new hero until Overwatch 2 arrives . We also used to get some new maps every year, but we only got Havana in 2019 and Kanezaka this year (and that's a deathmatch-only map so who cares about that.) Even the events have felt half-hearted as they've added nothing but new title screens with some old modes recycled and maybe slightly retooled. The only reason we even get new skins anymore is so Blizzard can still rake in that sweet lootbox mo


The grim reality is that the entire reason Overwatch 2 exists is to change the way Blizzard makes money. All of the meta changes, like the battle pass, Coin system, and locking new players out of content until they grind enough, are designed to increase revenue and engagement metrics. I don’t think we should ignore that or give Blizzard a pass, and if that’s enough to get you to give up on Overwatch 2 I don’t blame you. As someone who still loves the game, I’m willing to accept fewer free rewards if it means more frequent updates and better events. It’s simply too soon to write it off for me. I need to see how the devs respond to feedback and how much the game changes over the next year. None of this is ideal, but in the long run, link it could end up being exactly what Overwatch nee


Sojourn's nationality was leaked fairly early on around 2019, when screenshots of her surfaced before Blizzcon, showcasing her uniform. The maple leaf patches on her jacket were a tell-tale sign of her being Canad


Compare that situation to that of games like Apex Legends . As someone who hopped over from Overwatch to Apex, I can say that it feels much more alive at the moment thanks to seasonal updates. The maps are always being altered and updated ( and sometimes there's a new one! ), there's a new character every season, and there's plenty of new events, modes, and rewa


If you’re not intimately familiar with Overwatch, it might be hard to tell Overwatch 2 is even a different game. It has a few new characters and some new maps, a new game mode called Push, plus some subtle character redesigns, but it's largely the same game it's always been. But if you’ve been an active Overwatch player, a lot of the subtle changes have actually made a pretty big differe


Sojourn is a decorated Overwatch member, as a result of her involvement in a ton of missions. She led a strike team against Talon forces without mercy and participated in the Storm Rising archives mission by acting as the guiding force for the team itself. It seems like she might be taking on Ana Amari's old role as a commanding member in the fact


This is what Overwatch 2 sounds like, a slight iteration that adds improvements and features while not altering the core gameplay. Releasing a sequel that's mostly the same game but with a new coat of paint is frowned upon by most gamers who aren't into sports. This kind of behavior from Blizzard would be surprising except for one thing: they're owned by Activision, the publishers of the Call Of Duty franch


I am not thrilled about the new monetization, and I think at the very least there needs to be more ways to earn Overwatch Coins. That being said, we all know how free-to-play games work. If Blizzard makes a bunch of $20 skins, people will buy them. The hope is that Blizzard will reinvest that revenue back into the game so that we don’t have to replay Lucioball or Mei’s Snowball Offensive for the umpteenth time. We’re going to get five or six heroes a year instead of two or three. We’re going to get new maps, new game modes, and a whole new PvE story experience. Overwatch needs to change and grow all the time to keep people playing. The original wasn’t built to be that game, but hopefully Overwatch 2


COD is one of the few game series left that get away with an annual release schedule. Every fall like clockwork a new COD comes out and sells like hotcakes. Activision likely loves the profits it makes from this FPS franchise, and it wouldn't be shocking if it thinks they can do the same thing with Overwat