- Overwatch 2 will be rebranded to just Overwatch
- A year long narrative titled "The Reign of Talon" will start next month and will be told throughout the year across six seasons
- 10 new heroes will be added during this time, alongside brand new skins, events, and game features
Blizzard Entertainment has announced that it's dropping the "2" in Overwatch 2, alongside major year-long plans for the hero shooter.
During the latest Overwatch Spotlight livestream, the studio revealed that less than four years after launching Overwatch 2, the title will be reverting back to simply "Overwatch" when its very first year-long narrative kicks off next month.
"Overwatch is more than just a digit: it's a living universe that keeps growing, keeps surprising, and keeps bringing players together from around the world," Blizzard explained in a press release. "This year marks a huge turning point in how the development team envisions the future of Overwatch, so we are officially dropping '2' and moving forward as 'Overwatch'."
The storyline, titled "The Reign of Talon", will begin on February 10 with Season 1 and will be told across "a multi-faceted, fully-connected story across the entire year" through to Season 6. The arc starts with a new cinematic and will unfold through motion comics, in-game events, new voice lines, animated hero trailers, and short stories.
After The Reign of Talon concludes, a new story and Season 1 will then launch in 2027.
To tell the upcoming story, Overwatch will receive 10 new heroes throughout the year, with the first five dropping when Season 1 begins next month.
They include three characters from the antagonist Talon faction, Domina (Tank), Emre (Damage), and Mizuki (Support), while the Overwatch team will get Anran (Damage) and Jetpack Cat (Support). New heroes are expected to be added between Season 2 and Season 6.
Alongside a UI/UX overhaul, a Competitive Rank Reset, Stadium Hero, Vendetta, and other system and match improvements, Blizzard will add new sub-roles divided between the three existing roles, each with their own specific skills.
Tanks will get Bruiser, Initiator, and Stalwart. Damage is divided into Sharpshooter, Flanker, Specialist, and Recon, and Support will be consist of Tactian, Medic, and Survivor.
A Conquest Meta event, which will offer new missions tied to lore and a plethora of rewards across five weeks, will also be added next season, as well as a new Japan Night map in Season 3, and new collaborations and hero skins to look forward to.
From February 10 to February 23, Overwatch will team up with Hello Kitty & Friends for a crossover that will introduce six themed hero skins for Juno, Kiriko, Mercy, D.Va, Widowmaker, and Lucio.
Reign of Talon will have faction-themed skins, alongside new bundles, regular shop updates, and a new Mythic Hero skin every season, starting with Mercy’s Celestial Guardian and Juno’s Star Shooter in Season 1. Mei will also receive her first Mythic mid-season.
Last but not least, Overwatch will also be coming to Nintendo Switch 2, with the existing Overwatch 2, which is already playable on both Switch platforms, getting a Switch 2 upgrade edition in Spring.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.
English (US) ·