Once again, bad news for those that are desperately waiting to hear more on Overwatch 2 coming from Blizzard, as it now appears that we won’t be hearing anything about the title until early 2021 unless Blizzard feels like straying well away from their standard tropes.
As BlizzCon was officially announced as canceled in late May, many convention goers were saddened yet accepting that the announcement was frankly done for the safety of the convention goers. The question quickly shifted from why, to when, and now we have that answer that may not satisy everyone.
BlizzCONline, a clever juxtaposition of words, will now take place on February 19 and 20, in 2021. We’ll likely see a bit more of the upcoming Diablo 4 along with a few standard tricks, but the most pressing concern on some minds is Overwatch 2.
Presuming that Blizzard doesn’t break precedent, this means that the next we’ll hear about Overwatch 2 is going to be in early 2021, as the fourth season of the Overwatch League begins shifting its gears for another slew of gameplay between the best players in the world.
This could very well mean that the fourth season of Overwatch League will be played on standard Overwatch, and if Blizzard does release Overwatch 2 around mid to late 2021, the fifth season will likely bring about Overwatch 2 into league play.
Some are noting how the Call of Duty League (CDL) has been handled by Blizzards other half, sneaking out patches without announcement shortly before the championships that threaten to greatly skew results, and Blizzard themselves changing up metas shortly before matches that seem to similarly skew results.
Oh good we can watch it on those phones we have.
— typeclint (@typeclint) September 21, 2020
With this in mind, a complete shift halfway through the season might seem insane, but there is a historical precedent for worse; it should be entertaining, if nothing else.
With Overwatch 2 rumored to be shaking up many aspects of Overwatch, from weather effects to new heroes, it would be a drastic alteration to the league that has recently been blessed by the Nevada Gaming Commission which could furrow a few brows.
Beyond Overwatch 2, some are concerned about the showing for this BlizzCon being less…eventful from those past: asking fans if they didn’t have phones when announcing a mobile Diablo, and frustrating some by announcing that they’ve stopped development on Overwatch within a year of its release to begin developing Overwatch 2, but it isn’t all bad.
The later date will likely allow Blizzard to offer a bit more clarity on their upcoming titles, with a likely sneak-peek at the next season of Overwatch League, upcoming WoW content, and more. Here’s hoping the strange magic of BlizzCon doesn’t get stifled into a sterile version of itself.
