The best option<\/h2>\n
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At launch on October 4, Overwatch 2 players can expect three new heroes (including a support character teased in the release date trailer), six new maps, over 30 new skins (including a mythic skin for Genji), the Push game mode, and the game\u2019s first battle pass. Barring any issues that cause the team to reschedule, the second season will begin on December 6 and introduce another new tank, a new map, and a battle pass with over 30 new skins. More heroes, maps, modes, and the PvE story campaign will start to roll out throughout 2023.<\/p>\n
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Blizzard plans to make seasons last nine weeks, with three or four new heroes added yearly. If you play games like Apex Legends<\/em>\u00a0or Valorant<\/em>, this cadence of releases should be familiar to you. Keller and Spector claim that other successful free-to-play games aren\u2019t what caused Blizzard to make this shift. Instead, they say factors like lowering the barrier of entry for interested players and not wanting to hold on to finished content played a part in Overwatch 2<\/em>\u00a0going free-to-play.<\/p>\n
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$\"Overwatch$ <\/figure>\n
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\u201cWe don\u2019t want to develop things and try to pool it together into a big box release; we\u2019d rather just put content out when it\u2019s ready and do it as quickly as we can,\u201d Keller says. \u201cAs we kept working on some of the more innovative gameplay for the PvE side of Overwatch 2,<\/em> it meant that it was going to take longer for any of our PvP features to go public. We want to release stuff as frequently as we can, but it was taking us too long to be able to get it in front of our players.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The original Overwatch<\/em> has floundered since it stopped getting significant content updates in 2020 so Blizzard could focus on Overwatch 2<\/em>. By releasing the sequel as a free-to-play game this year, that long wait ends \u2014 and players won\u2019t have to worry about it happening again for a long time. The developers also stressed that Overwatch 2<\/em> would feel more like a sequel than an update when it launches, thanks to the new content and rework into 5v5 matches. Spector explains that many systems fell in place simultaneously, like cross-play, cross-progression, and the seasonal model, so it made sense to lower the barriers to entry and launch free-to-play this year.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe are dedicated to putting out content frequently and consistently in perpetuity.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cThere are a bunch of these different systems that come together to make us feel like this is the right moment to go free-to-play and drop any barrier to entry for players and make it as easy as possible to get in, fall in love with the game, and play with their friends,\u201d Spector says. \u201cIt\u2019s really been much more about growing that value of the game and the social aspects of it, and a little bit less about that there\u2019s a ton of content here and could have been a $60 box. That\u2019s really not how we\u2019ve been thinking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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That said, Keller was also honest about the fact that being able to monetize Overwatch 2<\/em> as a free-to-play title will also ensure the developers have the funds and support to keep creating new content for the foreseeable future. With battle passes, mythic skins, and an in-game shop confirmed, Blizzard will undoubtedly monetize Overwatch 2<\/em> like a cosmetic-driven free-to-play game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cQuite frankly, we are dedicated to putting out content frequently and consistently in perpetuity, and the easiest way to fund something like that is with a free-to-play style game,\u201d Keller says. \u201cIt allows us to continue to build new things for the game.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
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$\"Overwatch$ <\/figure>\n
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Sustaining that vision<\/h2>\n
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Blizzard has a history of running free-to-play live service games like World of Warcraft<\/em>, but this free-to-play approach is brand new for the Overwatch<\/em> team. The original was a paid release with significant content updates every few months. But with a free-to-play game, Keller understands that Overwatch 2<\/em> will consistently need updates to keep players engaged every day, week, and season. Keller also recognizes that the most successful free-to-play games \u201cput out as much content as they can and to really commit to that\u201d from both a release cadence and team structure standpoint.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re restructuring parts of the team so that we\u2019re able to work on multiple heroes and multiple maps at one time\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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A hectic year of development ensued to ensure the same was the case with Overwatch 2. <\/em><\/span>\u201c<\/em>We made this big switch, and it has been a really fast-paced year where we have had to do a lot of things to turn this massive ship that was going in one direction in another direction in order for us to fulfill one of our key values for the game, which is to be able to continually update it,\u201d Keller says.<\/span><\/p>\n
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Keller\u2019s comment regarding the significant shift within the last year raises questions about the developers\u2019 health as it made this massive shift during a very turbulent time for Blizzard. Keller says Blizzard took measures to grow the team so it could work on more things at once without stretching itself too thin.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re three times the size we were when we launched the original,\u201d Keller says. \u201cWe\u2019re restructuring parts of the team so that we\u2019re able to work on multiple heroes and multiple maps at one time, all while still looking at bigger features that are coming later to the service, such as PvE.\u201d<\/p>\n
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$\"Overwatch$ <\/figure>\n
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While Overwatch 2\u2019s<\/em> free-to-play announcement might have come as a shock for the community, Keller and Spector clarified that this is something they\u2019ve put a lot of thought into and is not a brash decision. Of course, releasing as a free-to-play early access game does mean they can end the series\u2019 content drought and garner as many new players as possible. Still, Spector believes Blizzard\u2019s Overwatch 2<\/em> free-to-play overhaul was \u201cthoughtful\u201d and not just done to get something out of the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cYou need to have a thoughtful strategy for how you\u2019re updating the game and how you\u2019re bringing new content in,\u201d Spector says. \u201cFor us, it was really important that it was not just \u2018Hey, Overwatch 2<\/em> is free-to-play,\u2019 but rather \u2018Overwatch 2<\/em> is free-to-play, and that is one part of the overall live service vision with seasonal content updates.’\u201d
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Overwatch 2<\/em> will launch on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X\/S, and Nintendo Switch on October 4.<\/p>\n
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Sustaining that vision<\/h2>\n <\/p>\n