Overwatch 2 Beta Is Reportedly On Its Way
Blizzard Entertainment might have a treat on the horizon for Overwatch fans as Overwatch 2 could be about to enter its beta testing phase. While the original Overwatch came out in 2015 and is still going strong with an expanded franchise of crossovers, animations, and books, that's nothing compared to the potential of Overwatch 2.
Although the success of Overwatch in the category of first-person shooter can arguably be traced to newer titles like Apex Legends and VALORANT, there's a growing number of fans asking for something new to keep the playerbase fresh. Those at the top have already teased Overwatch 2 will be a very different game, but until we hit the ground running, it remains to be seen what that exactly means. Thankfully, the latest leaks hint that Overwatch 2 could be just around the corner.
Players have speculated Overwatch 2 could drop before the end of 2021 - already looking to be a jam-packed year for gaming as next-gen consoles find their stride. The hints of a potential release date have been unearthed in the Battle.net Launcher (via Dexerto), which is used to play games like World of Warcraft on PC. Here, game files for "prov2" have been unearthed, with fans thinking this stands for Overwatch 2 with some sort of prefix. Is this on the money or just hopeful Overwatchers reaching a little too far?
For those who don't know, these content distribution network (CDN) files are used to pre-distribute data so gamers can download patches and updates quicker. Considering there's been no confirmation of this Overwatch news from Blizzard itself, thinking this is concrete evidence of an Overwatch 2 beta seems like a bit of a leap. Other theories suggest it could be the game being sent out for localisation, while it's important to remember it might have nothing to do with Overwatch 2 at all.
Of course, the Overwatch League Grand Final would've been the perfect time to announce Overwatch 2. Sadly, that date has been and gone without even a sniff of the next chapter. Whatever is going on, it's clear Overwatch is winding down. It's the end of an era as Echo was confirmed to be the last character drop in the OG game and Sojourn will be rolled over to Overwatch 2. Either way, we'll keep "watching" out for more hints of Overwatch 2.
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