- Blizzard’s announcement for Overwatch 2 beta seems a bit lackluster
- The base Overwatch still continues to have a bad content draught
- Fans are wondering if Blizzard will deliver enough meaningful changes by the start of the beta in April
Overwatch fans are glad to hear that the game’s sequel will have a closed beta in April, however, they are dissatisfied with the scant information given on the matter.
Overwatch Suffers from Content Draught
Ever since its release in 2016, Overwatch has been a staple in the FPS world, with Blizzard promising to have the game as a “live-service” game, with many updates and new content added periodically. And while this remained the case in the first few years of the game’s existence things seem to have slowed down significantly since Blizzard announced Overwatch 2 on Blizzcon 2019. Over the past couple of years, the original Overwatch seems to have had a veritable “content drought”, with many top streamers asking why have Blizzard abandoned the game.
However, fans’ hopes were held high waiting for any information from Blizzard about the much-anticipated sequel. But still, many fans think that the announcement of Overwatch 2’s closed beta comes somewhat late. At launch, players will have access to a small chunk of new content including Sojourn (the long-awaited Damage hero), overhauls for four existing characters, four new maps, and the Push game mode first revealed in 2019.
However, fans still think this is not enough. For example, it’s been almost two years since the last hero, Echo, was introduced to Overwatch, creating the biggest content gap since the game’s launch. This means that if Blizzard had not all but abandoned the original title to focus on the sequel, Overwatch fans would currently have far more content than what the upcoming Beta provides.
Is Overwatch 2 Simply an Update or a Proper Sequel?
Ever since 2019, Overwatch fans have been barely given anything new. Naturally, this reached Overwatch 2, with fans being dissatisfied with Blizzard’s silence on the game. It seemed at times that the company itself did not know what it wants for the second Overwatch.
Now, Blizzard is giving out more information on what it plans to change in the sequel, with reworks planned for Bastion, Sombra, Orisa, and Doomfist. We know what to expect from the first two in terms of new abilities and functions but the last two remain somewhat of a mystery.
Considering what Blizzard has said for the likes of Doomfist, Orisa, Mercy, and others, it’s safe to say that balancing the 32 heroes by the start of the open beta in April is still questionable. It’s unknown when the rest of the heroes will be reworked, or if they simply remain largely unchanged.
It’s good to see at least some progress is being made, and this is amidst Blizzard's ongoing lawsuits and top employees leaving the company. However, fans remain with many unanswered questions, as Blizzard has not really given out any details after the closed beta announcement.