But new heroes, new maps, a new gameplay mode, and other changes both superficial and consequential at least make Overwatch 2 feel… different.

Blizzard has promised those features will come later. Overwatch 2 arrives without the biggest selling points touted at its reveal: “a complete story experience” and “highly replayable” cooperative hero missions. Overwatch 2 may not earn its “2” - branding it Overwatch 2.0 might have felt more apt - but it does earn its “early access” launch designation. Instead, it’s a thorough overhaul and replacement of the 2016 game, now with free-to-play economic underpinnings to support its continued development. Because Overwatch 2 is not a sequel in the conventional sense.

When Blizzard Entertainment revealed Overwatch 2 to the world nearly three years ago, then-game director Jeff Kaplan, the man who shepherded the original Overwatch from failed MMO to dominant hero shooter, said the team hoped to “redefine what a sequel means.” Kaplan, beloved by the Overwatch community, was believably optimistic.īlizzard has certainly redefined what a sequel means with Overwatch 2, but not in the way that Kaplan had seemingly envisioned.

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