Overwatch 2 Is Reportedly Aiming For A Spring 2022 Release

Better late than never, Overwatch 2 might be coming sooner than expected and could launch as early as Q2 2022, dating it way earlier than the rumoured release in 2023. 

According to a report by Dexerto's Richard Lewis, the development team has been told to lock the current features up and get them ready for release, meeting various company requirements such as the timely start of Overwatch League's fifth season which is supposed to be played in full on the new game, avoiding other solutions like an Overwatch 1 and Overwatch 2 split during the active season.

Moreover, a definitive decision on the scheduling of the Overwatch League and its offseason programme is imminent, as contracts especially for Overwatch League players are running out in October, with franchises not yet having been given a clear outline that could inform their roster decisions. According to a GGRecon report, some players had already been informed of the possibility of their contracts not being renewed immediately for those reasons.

Blizzard Entertainment had initially announced the development of Overwatch 2 during Blizzcon 2019, showcasing the game's expanded focus to PvE play and giving Blizzcon attendees a first look, allowing them to play a story mission. New information has only trickled in slowly, with a developer live stream outlining dropping the bomb that Overwatch 2 would be moving its PvP portion to 5v5, getting rid of one tank player per team and redesigning the role, a decision that polarised the Overwatch community. A new game mode in Push was also announced.

Moreover, developers from team 4 (the team developing Overwatch for Blizzard Entertainment) had shared that Overwatch 2 would be launching with more than 40 heroes, adding at least eight new ones to the 32 hero strong roster. New maps such as Hybrid map New York and Escort map Montecarlo had also been announced.