Overwatch 2 Launches October 4 - Free to Play and New Hero: Junker Queen

[chaud]

Overwatch 2 Launches October 4 - Free to Play and New Hero: Junker Queen

Overwatch 2, launching on October 4, will be free-to-play on Windows® PC and Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, and Nintendo Switch™ consoles.

Anyone can join, and anyone can play and take part in our always-on, always-evolving live service. This is the most significant release in Overwatch history since its debut, and it will begin with early access to a new PvP experience, heroes, maps, and more with a new, free-to-play model.

At its core, we believe the game is a social experience that should be shared with everyone. This shift to free-to-play will open up and make the world of Overwatch available to more people than ever before, removing the barrier of entry and making it easier than ever to quickly jump into a match with friends. Inclusion is a strong driving force for this decision; when we stick together and work as a team, there's nothing that can stand in our way.

Save the Date for the Overwatch 2 Reveal Event
Save the date for the Overwatch 2 Reveal event on June 16 at 10:00 a.m. PDT on the PlayOverwatch YouTube and Twitch channels! Join us for this special announcement including more details on the live service model and seasonal content plan, Overwatch’s 34th hero, Junker Queen, the upcoming phase of the game’s closed beta testing and more!

We will have more to share with our community during the reveal on June 16 at 10:00 a.m. PDT on our Twitch and YouTube channels.

A New Era for Overwatch
Today, at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022, we shared a glimpse of what we have in store for our game including the new hero Junker Queen who is ready to take us to the wastelands. We showed familiar heroes who have matured and grown over the years, and there was also a tease of a mysterious fox leading its team into battle. If you missed out on the event, catch up on the video here:

Nothing can compare to the incredible moments we’ve experienced with our community since the game launched in 2016, and there are many amazing memories still to be made. This journey is grounded in the original Overwatch pillars of inclusivity, open-mindedness, and the idea that the world could always use more heroes. We are grateful to the Overwatch community, and we’ve created something special for you in return.

Overwatch 2 Founder’s Pack
As a thank you to our original players, the Overwatch 2 Founder’s Pack will be free in-game to all existing players who own Overwatch. The Founder’s Pack will include two epic skins and an exclusive founder’s icon, along with a surprise gift that will be announced before the game’s October 4 release.

To be eligible for the Founder’s Pack, players need to own Overwatch prior to June 23, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. PDT.

To redeem the Founder’s Pack, players need to log into the live game by 12/05/2022 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. This includes logging into Overwatch prior to October 4, or logging into Overwatch 2 after launch!

This is an equally exciting and humbling moment for the Overwatch team. Our community means everything to us, and we have a deep appreciation and respect for the players who have been there since the beginning.

Thank you, heroes, and we will see you soon!

[plz delete account]

that's great, but we already have a thread on this

[ResentfulUK]

that's great, but we already have a thread on this

The need to just be involved and have the first say is strong.

The need to have a snarky comment is also strong with me it seems!

[Nerph-]

that's great, but we already have a thread on this

... this is the news section, you know, where news gets posted?

[uuuhname]

surprised this got a launch date at all.

[Orby]

Looks like the first game... Like seriously why was this an expansion... literally curious?

Also why are they trying to sell you this game like it was a game that came out 20 years ago... it came out 6 years ago. What was the pitch of this game? 'Hey remember this game, remember these characters?' Yes I do, like it was only 6 years ago lol

[McNeil]

Honestly any hype I had for this game died when Jeff Kaplan left

[Darknessvamp]

To redeem the Founder’s Pack, players need to log into the live game by 12/05/2022 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

Players need to invent time machines to redeem stuff now?

[Kaleredar]

Players need to invent time machines to redeem stuff now?

An American company is likely using the US date notation, which would read as "December 5th, 2022"

[Ringthane]

Players need to invent time machines to redeem stuff now?

I know - it's almost like different parts of the world have different date standards, where numbers may not be in the same order as in other parts of the world. Crazy, amirite?

And I must chuckle at calling a class "junker". At least they're acknowledging the quality of the finished product.

[Sentynel]

Looks like the first game... Like seriously why was this an expansion... literally curious?

Think we can stop memeing about OW2 being too similar to OW1 since it's gonna be free to play.

[GreenJesus]

Players need to invent time machines to redeem stuff now?

Lol European spotted.

[Coronius]

inb4 new heroes are gonna come as paid DLC now that the game is F2P.

EIther way, this was pretty expected. The game barely qualifies as an expansion, let alone a full sequel.

[Maljinwo]

Finally the not sequel to Boring Team Fortress 2

[Orby]

Think we can stop memeing about OW2 being too similar to OW1 since it's gonna be free to play.

F2P is fine but once again why does it look the same? Not memeing, just really want to know. It being free isnt a reason.

[Very Tired]

F2P is fine but once again why does it look the same? Not memeing, just really want to know. It being free isnt a reason.

It's not really an expansion, it was just named that by Activision for dumb marketing purposes.

[Woggmer]

F2P is fine but once again why does it look the same? Not memeing, just really want to know. It being free isnt a reason.

It went through a lot of developer hell, where they were still trying to figure out if it's a separate game, an expansion, or an updated version to overlay on top of OW1. All the while, delay after delay. It even got delayed because of Jeff Kaplan's sudden departure from the company. So, people are just starved for actual content to work with. (TL;DR version: They wanted to release both PvP and PvE stuff in Overwatch 2 in one swing, but because of the countless delays and the OW1 people starved for content, they decided to showcase PvP first. It's a lot quicker to get everyone up to speed in PvP before since PvE has a lot of work getting put into it.)

In the actual competitive stuff from what I've heard, the whole 5v5 thing along with the hero updates really changed the game for a lot of the hardcore fans and average players and really prefer it over 6v6 (even though healers are under-performing).

The more casual or non-pvp types probably won't notice the difference at all aside from playing certain characters like Sombra, Bastion, Doomfist, Orisa, Reinhardt, Winston, Zarya, and maybe Zenyatta.

[PenguinChan]

It's not really an expansion, it was just named that by Activision for dumb marketing purposes.

Jeff explained it during the reveal, they didn’t want to call it OW2 but it was the best way to market it as such and create buzz around it. Well, it worked very well in doing so. Unfortunately people were expecting it to be a major new title but obviously understanding it’s just a marketing ploy it makes more sense. The major differences are balance changes, hero reworks, model updates, better shaders, (potentially) ultrawide support, a new game mode and whatever else they may reveal on the 16th. This was all going to be free anyways, as the PVP side of OW2 was always going to be free.

The paid aspect of the game is PVE. Which is clearly the main source of delays compared to the PVP, which is unfortunate but expected with Jeff leaving. Why he left is up to speculation, but, I feel like we’re going to see why with the new monetization model. And potentially, whatever happened to the PVE mode.

[StillMcfuu]

Sad announcement, only a few more months until they ruin OW with the questionable changes of OW2.

[Unlimited Power]

Kinda over Overwatch PvP. I had my fun in quickmatch back when the game launched, but the moment ranked play dropped I immediately lost all interest.

I'm more interested in the PvE component that was announced along with OW2, but not sure if they've expanded on what it'll entail since first announcing it.