’s sequel to their popular shooter is coming sometime next year, and a ton of details have just dropped.
Steeped in a quagmire of controversy and the mountain of , as well as , Overwatch 2’s spot in the Showcase was brief and to the point.
The game has taken a different turn since its announcement, with the full release not only featuring a return to its famed competitive nature, but also introducing a co-operative mode so you can play with your friends and not just against them.
, with the open beta being announced in its new trailer. That will be available this autumn and there’s some extra good news: it’s going to be free to play.
Will Overwatch 2 be free?
Originally only intended to be free for owners of the first game, the negative sentiment after the beta have caused Blizzard to make the whole game free, at least in early access.
Owners of the original game will be able to get the Founders Pack instead, which comes with a couple of epic skins.
If you want the Founders Pack, you’ll need to have already owned Overwatch or purchase it by June 23, 7pm BST.
Is Overwatch 2 coming to Switch?
Last year Overwatch came to the . A low resolution port that couldn’t play with other platforms, it still found an audience.
Microsoft had a weird embargo on all non-console exclusives announced at the showcase, and no one was allowed to say anything about the other versions until the next day.
There could even be others games coming to the PlayStation 5 that we don’t know about yet – like .
As a case in point, in the blog post that that brought most of the information after the event, Blizzard announced that they would be shipping Overwatch 2 on Switch as well.
What heroes are in Overwatch 2?
The cast of characters joining Overwatch 2 is ever growing, with two more being announced recently. Sojourn, a damage character was shown off at the announcement of the game.
She uses a railgun and assault rifle, which relies on you being able to aim. Sojourn will be joined by fellow newcomer Junker Queen, who was shown off for the first time during the event.
Here’s every character coming to Overwatch 2 so far:
- Ashe
- Echo
- Tracer
- Reaper
- Phara
- McCree
- Soldier: 76
- Genji
- Sombra
- Doomfist
- Widowmaker
- Torbjorn
- Hanzo
- Bastion
- Junkrat
- Mei
- Symmetra
- Ana
- Baptiste
- Brigitte
- Lucio
- Mercy
- Moira
- Zenyatta
- D.Va
- Orisa
- Reinhardt
- Roadhog
- Sigma
- Winston
- Wrecking Ball
- Zarya
- Sojourn
- Junker Queen
Who is Junker Queen in Overwatch 2?
Junker Queen is the new star of the game, with her trailer featuring what the community believe to be the focus of some of the co-op missions in the game.
Her shtick is that she’s an Australian gladiator queen, although there are few other details right now. She has a large axe and fills the tank role, meaning she’ll be a meaty, difficult foe to take on.
Will Overwatch 2 have crossplay and cross-progression?
With Blizzard’s other titles, like and Diablo 4, supporting crossplay, it only makes sense for their huge audience across all four major platforms to get in on the action together.
The game will work in a similar way to , using the Battle.net login method to unlock the advertised cross-progression.
When does Overwatch 2 come out?
With the turmoil that Blizzard is currently in, including the ongoing acquisition by Microsoft, the multiple controversies currently being levied against Activision Blizzard, and , the game got delayed into 2023.
This was along with , which was also featured during the Xbox showcase.
The beta for Overwatch 2 will start on October 4, 2022. It is dubbed as ‘early access’, with the game expected to move to a full release in 2023.
How to get into Overwatch 2’s beta
The early access beta is going to be open to anyone and everyone starting from October 4. You’ll be able to download it as normal from your console or PC, so there’s no chance of missing out and no need to sign up ahead of time.
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