When Blizzard introduced Overwatch 2 in 2019, my eyes squinted and my head tilted a number of levels to the precise. We’re within the age of service video games—a time when “outdated” video games get up to date for years after launch and problem the necessity for sequels in any respect. Overwatch was among the many first to kick off the development in 2016, and now there’s going to be one other one? How do you sequelize a sport that is not supposed to finish?
Nearly three years later, Overwatch 2’s entire deal hasn’t gotten any clearer. Blizzard has executed a foul job of explaining what its subsequent shooter is, and it is already having an enormous impact on its first PvP beta.
Left with scarce updates for these final three years of ready, gamers have naturally crammed within the blanks, build up their very own expectations for what a sport known as “Overwatch 2” ought to look/sound/really feel like. Now we have now an enormous slice of Overwatch 2 in our fingers, and seemingly no one is pleased with it.
Sequel shock
Besides, maybe, for me. I am having a fairly good time in Overwatch 2’s first beta. Sojourn, the one new Overwatch 2 hero presently within the beta, is a enjoyable combine between Soldier: 76 and Widowmaker. Many of the hero tweaks, like Orisa and Bastion, have been profitable thus far. The controversial 5v5 shakeup has been a optimistic change in my e-book. The brand new lighting on outdated maps is sweet. I even dig the brand new Push mode, which is mainly a map-wide tug-of-war between two competing payloads.
By and huge, the brand new stuff itself is not the problem right here. However a “single new hero,” “outdated maps,” and “hero tweaks” aren’t actually the novel new options that come to thoughts once I take into consideration sequels. On the primary day of the beta, I streamed Overwatch 2 for my buddies on Discord. As I began a match on Dorado, an iconic Overwatch 1 map that now has a daytime model, one pal rapidly interjected: “What is that this? The place are the brand new maps? Why are the outdated maps right here?”
I used to be a bit aggravated by the remark at first. There are a number of new maps within the beta, truly, however there are outdated maps too. To me, this is sensible—I nonetheless benefit from the outdated maps, so I would be bummed in the event that they had been disregarded of the sequel. As he noticed extra of the sport, he grew extra disenchanted and I understood why. My pal, who has a traditional individual job and does not sustain as intently with video games, had simply assumed {that a} new sport meant utterly new stuff. In fact he did, that is supposedly a sequel!
Overwatch too
It has change into more and more clear that Overwatch 2 is not a sequel although, not less than not in the way in which that everybody on earth makes use of the phrase. It isn’t simply that Overwatch 2 feels just like Overwatch 1—it is Overwatch 1. To play this beta, you merely have to modify to a unique model of Overwatch 1 in Battle.internet and obtain a number of gigs of additional content material. The menus are functionally an identical, however look a bit completely different. All of my Overwatch 1 settings had been routinely the identical in Overwatch 2. I personal all the identical skins. My D.Va’s dancing emote is even mapped to the identical key I left it on.
It isn’t like Blizzard has been mendacity about Overwatch 2, however including a ‘2’ to the title has definitely misled or not less than confused lots of people. Blizzard has technically been telling us what Overwatch 2 is for some time, explaining in 2019 that Overwatch 1 gamers will play alongside Overwatch 2 gamers, and that each new addition to Overwatch 2’s PvP (heroes, maps, modes) would additionally come to the unique Overwatch.
In each approach that issues, although, the Overwatch 2 beta is extra like a patch. Or, extra precisely, it is an growth. Keep in mind expansions? Blizzard has made loads of them for its different video games through the years.
When WoW releases a brand new growth, gamers get what they anticipate—extra of the sport they’re already enjoying, however with new story, quality-of-life updates, new playable courses, and a brand new map. Based mostly on what I’ve performed, that sounds so much like Overwatch 2. It is potential the notion of Overwatch 2’s scope will change as soon as we have seen extra of its mysterious PvE marketing campaign mode, however till we will play it, it is pure to imagine PvP will stay the sport’s draw.
I can not assist however marvel if Blizzard would have saved a protracted headache if it had merely known as Overwatch 2 anything—Overwatch: Heroes Rise. Overwatch 2.0. Overwatch: Reforged (OK, possibly not that one). As a result of now, Blizzard faces two massive issues:
- Lots of people aren’t clear on what Overwatch 2 is and…
- Those that thought ‘2’ meant Overwatch 2 could be a standard sequel aren’t glad
That is why I am not shocked tweets like this have gone viral in previous weeks, with replies suggesting Blizzard is just advancing the time of day on outdated maps and passing it off as new content material. I do not suppose that’s what’s truly taking place right here. The up to date outdated maps aren’t a spotlight of the brand new sport and appear to primarily exist to indicate off Overwatch 2’s improved lighting. That stated, if you happen to’ve been moderately assuming Overwatch 2 is a very new, transformative sequel all this time, it is a fairly dunkable video.
Overwatch 2 New Map Lighting Comparability 🌟 📽️Supply: https://t.co/9UAo68CzBj pic.twitter.com/tUPFJ7jVaJMay 5, 2022
The strains between growth and sequel are graying even additional now that Blizzard is formally splitting the PvP and PvE parts of Overwatch 2. Blizzard stated it made the choice so it will possibly get Overwatch 2 within the fingers of gamers sooner, suggesting that the marketing campaign and PvE is taking so much longer than deliberate. The studio did not go as far to say that Overwatch 2’s PvP will come out earlier than its PvE, however I am anticipating that announcement any day.
No matter the brand new deal is, I want Blizzard would simply say so. Make it clear that that is “Overwatch too,” not Overwatch 2. As a result of I am already uninterested in having to be the one to clarify it to my buddies. “Nicely sure there’s new stuff, however it’s additionally the identical sport” simply does not roll off the tongue as a tagline.
I like Overwatch and, Blizzard’s horrible messaging be damned, I feel I will have loads of enjoyable in Overwatch 2, too. However I’d begin calling it Overwatch 2.0, simply to set expectations proper.
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