Overwatch 2 has been out there for a long time now. We’ve known that Activision Blizzard was working on it, but we’ve seen very little of the game. With Blizzoncline 2021, Activision Blizzard breezed over the game entirely. Instead, they’ve favoured the Diablo franchise. While this is no way a bad thing, because Diablo 2 Resurrected and Diablo 4 look great, it is a bit disappointing for Overwatch fans. The first game hasn’t seen much in the way of new updates or heroes for ages, and it’s getting to the point that it now feels like a dead game in a way. Without regular updates, what is there to learn about and work around?
Overwatch 2 has some big promises to live up to. First, the game is supposed to revamp the existing game modes with new ones, better hero composition, and even some new abilities. I suspect that we’ll see some new heroes too, but that all remains to be seen. The big thing that Overwatch 2 is meant to bring the universe is story-driven single-player content. This will be the first time that an Overwatch title has dedicated single-player content at launch. While we’ve seen in-game events that are single-player focused in the first game, we’ve not seen anything on the same level as is expected of Overwatch 2.
That’s why I think that Overwatch 2 is going to be the new blueprint for hero shooters. If you think about it, games such as Rainbow Six Siege, Apex Legends, and Rogue Company are all based on what Overwatch originally showed the world hero shooters could be. Sure, they iterate on the formula, but without Overwatch, they’d all be very different games.
I think that we’ll start to see single-player elements sneak into these hero shooters once Overwatch 2 is out. It makes sense because players like me love a good single-player element as well as a multiplayer one. This will mean that there will be more ways to progress any season passes, and maybe even earn in-game progress towards new heroes. Hopefully, this is the dawn of a new age for hero shooters. One that I’m very much here for.