Overwatch 2 PVP portion starts in October as a free-to-play game

Overwatch 2 has a release date: On October 4, the PVP portion will appear as a free-to-play game in Early Access, as Blizzard surprisingly announced during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase for Summer Game Fest 2022. A new trailer includes a new one heroine, new images, new maps and more.

Early Access three years after announcement

Overwatch 2 was first announced at Blizzcon 2019, which was held as an attendance event before the coronavirus pandemic. The developers at the time made it clear that the Overwatch team wanted to focus entirely on developing the sequel from now on; the work on the first part has been reduced to maintenance level. Much time has passed since then. In the meantime, both longtime game director and creator of Overwatch Jeff Kaplan and two Blizzard presidents have left the field. Last summer’s sexism scandal was all but forgotten when Microsoft announced its multi-billion dollar acquisition of Activision Blizzard in January 2022.

Free to play with crossplay and cross-progression

April 2022 saw a surprise beta testing phase, at the end of which Blizzard announced more information about Overwatch 2 would follow soon. The publisher kept his word. On October 4, 2022, the PVP portion of Overwatch 2 will be released for free in Early Access for consoles and PC, regardless of whether players previously had Overwatch 1 or not.

However, players who own Overwatch 1 before June 23, 2022, and log in to Overwatch 2 before December 6, 2022, will have access to a Founder’s Pack, which will reportedly include two epic skins, a profile icon, and a “surprise gift”. The paid PVE part will be submitted on an unknown date. Blizzard also announces that Overwatch 2 will offer crossplay and cross saves or cross progression on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Series S and X, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Some more news can be found in a trailer. First up is a new tank heroine, the Junker Queen, who has long been considered a potential future heroine in the community. In addition, some characters were shown for the first time in their new look and new skins are also celebrating their premiere. Blizzard has not yet presented completely new maps, but the other locations that have already been announced have been shown again.

Unveiling event on June 16

Blizzard promises detailed information about all this for a “Reveal Event” on June 16, 2022, at 7:00 PM for example on YouTube is transferred. Then for the first time, the developer also wants to comment on the concrete implementation of the live service model, preview seasonal content and talk about the next phase of the closed beta.