Reportedly, Blizzard’s strategy of erasing all traces of the original Overwatch seems to be back in full force. In a post uploaded to Twitter, Overwatch skin leaker Ska’Vorah shared that Overwatch 2 skins will be changed to remove any references to ‘2’ in their names. Ska’Vorah conjectures this may be a sign that Blizzard intends to drop ‘2’ entirely from the game’s title.
Previously, the game’s skins were categorized based on Overwatch 1 and Overwatch 2 designs. Allegedly, skin designs taken from Overwatch 1 will now be known as “Classic” skins, with Overwatch 2 designs being assigned the “Valorous” label.
If Ska’Vorah’s claims are true, this move would signify a rebranding that would complete Overwatch 2’s total replacement of the original. Overwatch 1 was officially shut down on October 2, 2022, two days before the launch of its successor, effectively forcing the original’s player base to move over to the new title, which unlike the original, is a free-to-play live service game.
In interviews and official communications, Blizzard’s official stance has always been that Overwatch 2 is an evolution of the Overwatch 1 rather than a completely separate game. However, the studio received backlash from some fans who felt that Overwatch 2 had been marketed as a full sequel to the original.
