Leaker Has Revealed The Reason Behind Overwatch 2's Delay To 2023

The Overwatch community was dealt with yet another blow to their hopes of playing the sequel any time soon, as reports surfaced that Overwatch 2 has been delayed, yet again.

Reputable leaker "Metro" claimed that the title has faced even more hurdles in its development, which means we won't be seeing it this year, and most likely not in 2022 either.

With the current state of Overwatch being a rotting core that has been neglected for months, the general consensus is that a delay to 2023 could see the large majority of the player base having already disappeared for alternatives like VALORANT. By the time Overwatch 2 launches, there may well be no one left to play it.

So, what's actually taking them so long? 

Overwatch 2 Delays Down To 'Hero Reworks' According to Leaker

Speaking on stream, Metro explained the extensive delay is down to reworking heroes that haven't "been considered" for Overwatch 2.

“From what I’ve gathered the heroes are done, mostly - The new heroes that they want to add,” Metro said. The likes of Sombra and Baptiste have already been showcased, although little has been shown of the existing pool of heroes. 

“They have a basic single-player campaign completely done, basically. They also have the [new] maps done for multiplayer. They have them done. The thing they have not done is they did not consider anything in terms of reworking heroes.”

He continued: "They have not even considered how McCree might be completely busted with a stun in Overwatch 2. So, after people have told them, they now realise that they have to rework heroes that they haven't even considered."

The changes from six-versus-six to teams of five will see many heroes having to be tweaked and adjusted, especially those in the Tank roles. 

Following a recent financial call, amid the leadership's comments about the ongoing investigations surrounding alleged harassment and gender discrimination in Activision Blizzard, the developers added that Overwatch 2 had “passed an important internal milestone in recent weeks.”

With a pool of 32 heroes to balance, alongside final touches to the new characters, it's clear to see why the devs are lacking behind schedule. Hopefully, the process can be put into fast-forward, for the sake of the franchise.