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Overwatch 2 PvP livestream offers development update next week

Blizzard is ready to share a first look at Overwatch 2's PvP next week, the first such look at the game since it was first revealed at BlizzCon 2019.

Ozzie Mejia

May 11, 2021 11:00 AM

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There hasn't been a lot of news regarding Overwatch 2 since it was originally announced. The sequel to Blizzard's hero shooter missed the recent BlizzConline and the publisher already indicated that it won't be part of its 2021 lineup. However, it does appear that there's an update on its development incoming. On Tuesday, new Overwatch Game Director Aaron Keller announced that an Overwatch 2 livestream would air next week and offer a first glimpse at the game's PvP.

The Overwatch 2 PvP livestream will air on Thursday, May 20 at 12 p.m. PT. The two-hour stream will be hosted by Matt "Mr. X" Morello and Mitch "Uber" Leslie, who will be joined over the course of the presentation by Keller, Lead Hero Designer Geoff Goodman, and Associate Art Director Dion Rogers. The show will focus on some of the big changes coming to Overwatch 2, as well as some of the game's new maps. The changes are aimed at "reinvigorating the core Overwatch experience," according to an issued media alert. The stream will air on the Overwatch Twitch and YouTube channels.

On top of the May 20 livestream, the Overwatch team will be jumping on Reddit for an AMA on Monday, May 24. The team will be taking questions on Overwatch 2, as well as celebrating the fifth anniversary of Overwatch. The timing of the AMA has not been specified.

After years of radio silence, this is a sudden shift for the Overwatch development team. Today's announcement also, coincidentally, comes three weeks to the day that former game director Jeff Kaplan exited Blizzard after working with the company for 19 years. The timing of the livestream's announcement is certain to raise some eyebrows and open up speculation on whether there was a difference in vision for Overwatch 2 between Kaplan and the higher-ups at Activision Blizzard.

Regardless of the circumstances behind its announcement, it looks like Thursday, May 20 will offer the first look at Overwatch 2 PvP and the first major update on the sequel since it was originally announced at BlizzCon 2019. It still likely will not release in 2021, but it should be an indicator that it's closer to the finish line than some might have believed. We'll follow this story as it unfolds at Shacknews, so be sure to come back for more updates.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?