The first week of the Overwatch 2 Beta is behind us—time flies when you’re having fun! The team has been hard at work compiling player feedback, squashing bugs, and gearing up for the mid-cycle patch. As we mentioned on the Overwatch forums last week, we’re going to talk a little more about the Mercy and Symmetra changes, as well as initial thoughts on Junker Queen and queue times!
Guardian Angel gives Mercy important mobility that is ...
Read moreIt's our pleasure to welcome players to the Overwatch 2 Beta!
Starting today, June 28, until July 18, players will have the opportunity to join our next phase of beta testing that will feature new tank hero Junker Queen, new hybrid map Rio, and support for players on Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
We’ve shared a lot of information over the past few weeks on our plans leading up to this beta. You can catch up on all the action through the following links:
The Overwatch team is partnering with Twitch to host Support a Streamer during the second beta! Twitch viewers will be rewarded with a special skin for gifting subscriptions to participating streamers.
Starting June 29 until July 20, support your favorite, eligible streamers and you can receive the Legendary Medic Brigitte skin that will unlock in-game and carry over to Overwatch 2!
From June 29 at 11:00 a.m. PDT until July 20 at 11:00 a.m. PDT.
The upcoming Overwatch 2 Beta is upon us, and the team is incredibly excited to welcome players on Xbox and PlayStation and bring Junker Queen, Rio, and multiple balance changes to the game. Player feedback is the most integral part of the Beta process, illuminating areas we need to change and bringing us one step closer to Overwatch 2’s launch. Before our next beta begins, we’d like to share a few of our goals so you know what we’re focused on testing and to help everyone make the most of their experience.
This beta will be the first time Xbox and PlayStation players get their hands on Overwatch 2, and we’re looking to test game servers by significantly scaling up capacity. This helps us determine server load and performance as we mass test across platforms for the first time in Overwatch 2.
We are keeping a sharp eye out for bugs and performance issues so that we can polish the game and provide the best experience possible...
Read moreJunker Queen joins the Overwatch 2 roster as the newest tank hero with a big axe and even bigger ideas. As we saw in The Wastelander cinematic, the Scrapyard’s sovereign is fierce, resourceful, and no stranger to survival. And now, she’s come to claim her rightful throne.
Junker Queen’s playstyle and kit were built from her pre-existing Overwatch lore. The Junkertown map showcases her tough, almost brutal, personality, and we wanted her abilities and playstyle to match that energy. This type of design—constructing a character’s kit to match their established identity—is called top-down design. Junker Queen was in Overwatch’s narrative well before we had a design for her kit, which meant she had big community expectations resting on her stately shoulders. Now, as she steps out of the lore and into the l...
Read moreThe next Overwatch 2 Beta is on its way and will include console support, Junker Queen, and Rio—a hybrid map that’s home to Lucio’s “Clube Sinestesia!” This next phase of testing is slated to begin June 28 at 11:00 a.m. PDT and run until July 18. Please keep in mind the end date may be extended based on what our testing needs are at that time.
The beta will be available on PC, Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Because we’re expanding this beta to more platforms, all players, including those who previously had access, will need to opt-in again starting June 16 at 11:00 a.m. PDT. Players will need to specify which platform they would like to play on when they opt in for this beta.
We are here to help and answer some of your most burning questions!
Q. I had access to the first Overwatch 2 PVP Beta, will I automatically roll over to the next beta as well?
A. Beta access does not roll over from the previous Overwatch 2 PvP Beta. For the u...
This week, we shared something near and dear to the team’s heart—Overwatch is back.
Overwatch 2 is releasing on October 4 as a free-to-play live experience, and we'd like to explain exactly what that means for our game. Overwatch 2 will have seasonal updates on a regular cadence and a Battle Pass that will feature new content including new heroes, game modes, maps, cosmetics, and more! We’ll also be outlining Seasons One and Two and plans extending into 2023 with a roadmap for the game.
Making Overwatch 2 free-to play is a natural step forward for our game and our players. Overwatch, even since its debut, has always been a social game, and our community has always has the most fun when we come together. Free-to-play removes the barrier to entry, allowing anyone, anywhere to jump into the game, group up with friends, or find people to play with online. Along with this shift to free-to-play, we’ll be adding cross–progre...
Read moreOverwatch 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.
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Read moreThe Overwatch team has some exciting, fresh-off-the-press news to share with our community. We've been eagerly awaiting the moment we can show you all the things we have been creating, so mark your calendars, set your alarms, and don’t miss out! The Overwatch 2 Reveal Event will be on the PlayOverwatch YouTube and Twitch channels on June 16 at 10:00 a.m. PDT.
Up until now, we have introduced the new damage hero, Sojourn, Push, hero reworks, new maps, and a variety of new features all coming to Overwatch 2. The team is committed to being trans...
Read moreThe Overwatch team has been ideating and experimenting with a handful of heroes since the PvP Beta wrapped up. Here’s a hint to one of the heroes we’ve been working on so far:
"The true struggle is for the superiority of ideas."
We’ve been cooking up some new ideas for Moira, and we’re considering how she will perform as we step into the future of the game.
Led by Associate Hero Designer Alex Kwok, the Hero Balance and Design Team is looking at how to best update Moira’s kit for Overwatch 2. She’s an effective support—sometimes too effective in certain metas like GOATS. However, we believe she lacks the play-making ability and utility possessed by other supports on the roster. To improve the feel of her gameplay, we’re iterating on fresh changes that will give her kit more depth; as we navigate toward this goal, we’re here to give you an inside look at how we ideate and iterate on hero design.
Heroes of Overwatch, let's talk data! Data is a valuable resource when it comes to game design. Data, player feedback, user research, internal discussion, and simply playing the game ourselves, all influence our design decisions. Data can give us a bird’s-eye-view, a close look at the smallest details, and it can illuminate larger trends in our game. Today we’re going to talk about what we can learn from the first Overwatch 2 Beta and how we use data to inform design decisions in-game.
The design team wanted to keep an eye on several things as the first beta began. We saw the community play Sojourn and explore the Sombra, Bastion, Doomfist, and Orisa reworks for the first time. We wanted to know how these heroes were performing in the beta and respond with quick changes if they were found to be lacking in effectiveness or too overpowered to play against.
When evaluating hero performan...
Read moreOur first Overwatch 2 PvP Beta has ended! We’ve been both humbled and inspired by the amount of interest and enthusiasm everyone has shown for Overwatch 2, and we can’t wait to share more with you about what comes next. Save the date for an Overwatch 2 Event on June 16!
In the meantime, as we wrap up this first testing phase, our Overwatch 2 Game Director, Aaron Keller, wanted to share a few words on Team 4’s behalf:
Read moreThe Overwatch Team would like to take a moment to convey a heartfelt thank you to all the players that took part in our first beta. It was so exciting to see our community playing our game. The enthusiasm for this game and this universe means so much to us, it always has, and it always will.
Overwatch as a world, as a universe, is deeply personal to the team; something that we pour our time, creative energies and passion into. It can be scary putting something that means so much to you out there for other people to lo...
A renewed interest and excitement for the support role, improved queue times, improved survivability for support heroes, behind-the-scenes testing of Moira and Mercy, and thoughts around historical “shield-breaker” heroes are top of mind for our team as we reflect on the second week of the PvP Beta.
We’ve been closely monitoring the performance of the support role following last week’s balance patch that saw improvements for Baptiste, adjustments for Ana, and the introduction of a montage-worthy new passive ability for Zenyatta.
As is often the case when we increase effective health for a hero, Zenyatta saw all-around improvements in performance over the weekend. Even with a higher pick rate, we saw our resident Omnic monk’s win rate improve by 5%, putting him in a healthy—albeit slightly strong—position. Perhaps not as surprising, the additional 25 shield health resulted in a 7% reduction in his death rate, with a...
Read moreThroughout week one of our first Technical Beta for Overwatch 2, our team has been galvanized by all the enthusiasm and positive energy from so many participating players. We’re carefully listening to your feedback during this Beta test. As we committed to more regular communication with our players, we plan to share a weekly update with you about what we’re learning and how that impacts our development plans. For this week's update, we have four main topics to cover.
Progress on Beta 1 Goals
The main goals for our first Beta were to test our shift to 5v5, the new maps and Push game mode, overall balance, and build and server stability. We believe 5v5 is a significant adjustment for players, and we have been happy to hear consistent and positive feedback about players having more fun, feeling a greater sense of impact in their matches, and enjoying a faster pace of combat and engagements. While we will continue to adjust the rules of Push, pla...
The Overwatch 2 PvP Beta is on the horizon! Starting April 26th at 11am PT, selected players will begin to receive invites to join the PvP Beta throughout the day. In advance of the PvP Beta beginning, we wanted to share more information and answer your questions.
FAQ
Q. How will I know if I'm selected to participate in the Overwatch 2 PvP Beta?
A. Players selected to participate in the Overwatch 2 PvP Beta will receive a welcome email from the Overwatch team with instructions on how to gain access to the build. Starting at 11am, we will begin rolling out beta access to selected participants. While players selected initially should all receive access on the first day, we may extend invitations to more players at later periods in this test.
Q. How can I opt-in to the Overwatch 2 PvP Beta and how are players selected?
A. Visit the Overwatch 2 PvP Beta page t...
Two opposing forces—one a benevolent protector of Numbani, the other a mighty successor to the city's Scourge—are both receiving reworks just in time for the Overwatch 2 PvP Beta. Although the new 5v5 team composition will change the way tanks approach team fights, their primary objectives will remain the same: focus on making space for their team, initiate engagements, and peel for allies in trouble. Overall, they’re going to feel brawlier, dishing out damage while utilizing their strong defensive capabilities. Lead Hero Designer Geoff Goodman led the charge on Doomfist’s transition from damage to tank hero, and Senior Hero Designer Brandon Brennan took point on the Orisa rework. Let’s jump into how both heroes have been tailored to fit the changes coming in Overwatch 2!
DOOMFIST
Doomfist’s curren...
Read moreSojourn is ready to deploy. As a former Overwatch Captain, Sojourn fields abilities designed to plan, lead, and execute strikes on her opposition.
The 33rd Hero on the roster, Sojourn offers a unique mid-range gameplay experience and a kit packed with some incredible mobility and artillery. Senior Hero Designer Josh Noh has been leading the charge on her gameplay development, while Narrative Designer Miranda Moyer wrote many of Sojourn’s in-game voice lines. They're both here to give us insight into her conceptualization and play style.
Railgun
The Railgun’s primary fire is a rapid projectile that generates energy on hit. The energy Sojourn generates from her primary charges up her secondary, which is a high-impact shot that consumes the stored energy. “The Railgun is where Sojourn started,” say...
Read moreThere are many questions the team keeps in mind when creating a new Overwatch map, but ultimately, we want the art and aesthetics of any given map to add complexity and depth to the gameplay. We have made some changes to the maps to reflect broader Overwatch 2 shifts. One example includes adding cover to existing Overwatch maps to accommodate having one less tank. Another example includes the new daytime and nighttime cycles that make certain areas easier or more difficult to see, and it gives an overall different vibe to each map. This design philosophy and development inspiration is seen throughout the four new Overwatch 2 PvP maps debuting in the April 26th Beta test —New Queen Street in Toronto, Colosseo in Rome, Midtown in New York City, and Circuit Royal in Monte Carlo!
New Queen Street and Colosseo are the first maps for the new...
Read moreGrab your gilded weapons and put on your most stylish skins–the sixth anniversary of Overwatch has arrived! To celebrate the occasion, we’re unlocking the skin vault and bringing back six limited looks that you might have missed out on–with an exclusive twist. The festivities are just getting started, so keep an eye out for the next installment of this three-volume event series.
As part of the Overwatch Anniversary celebration, we’re unlocking season-exclusive brawls, giving you the chance to dive back into your favorite modes from previous seasonal events. Kick it back with Lúcioball, team up to defend Adlersbrunn from Dr. Junkenstein, relive past Archives missions, and more!
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Overwatch 2 is introducing the highly requested ping system to the game! We’re adding this quality-of-life feature because we are dedicated to improving players’ experiences and including the community in our development strategy. Let’s dive into the inspiration, goals, and an overview of the Overwatch 2 ping system! The inspiration behind the ping system came from a value the Overwatch team holds dearly: Every Voice Matters.
This is a core value at Blizzard, and the Overwatch team wanted to personify this value in our game. We wanted to create a system that would enhance voice communication as well as provide alternative ways to share information with your team,” says systems designer Gavin Winter. “One of our goals was to augment speech and give people a way to visually interpret voice communication. We also wanted to support all voices and create a system to communicate for players that would prefer to avoid voice chat.”
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