Overwatch 2 will fully replace the original game when it launches

Enjoy 6v6 while it lasts because once Overwatch 2 launches, the original game and core playstyle will be unavailable.

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The road to Overwatch 2’s launch has been long and strange. After being announced at BlizzCon 2019, Blizzard Entertainment has been quietly working on the game for the last few years with only a few updates here and there. That silence was broken this year and Blizzard even opted to do a Reddit AMA on the game ahead of its release in October. It was here that Overwatch 2 leads revealed that the game will entirely replace the original Overwatch, gameplay and all.

The aforementioned Overwatch 2 AMA was hosted on the r/Games Subreddit on June 22, 2022. It was here that the team revealed that once Overwatch 2 launches, it will be altogether replacing the original Overwatch as a live service game. Theoretically, that means that players won’t be able to access the original Overwatch through Battle.net services once Overwatch 2 launches. Given that the original Overwatch is almost entirely an online multiplayer game, that means there won't be any reasonable way to play it in official capacity afterwards.

In the recent Reddit AMA, Overwatch 2 devs revealed that it will replace the original game entirely as live service once it launches.
In the recent Reddit AMA, Overwatch 2 devs revealed that it will replace the original game entirely as a live service game once it launches.

While in many ways, this probably won’t matter to a lot of Overwatch players, the shift in gameplay is sure to be a concern for some. The original Overwatch is 6v6 and Overwatch 2 will be shifting to a 5v5 format. Those who favor the 6v6 style will be out of luck once Overwatch 2 comes out unless the classic multiplayer is included as a side mode or in limited-time events. Unfortunately, that also means that if you don’t care for the changes in the upcoming Overwatch 2, you can’t go back to the original game.

Overwatch 2 is slated to launch in October 2022. As we get closer to the launch date, stay tuned for more details, including the reveal of further new characters like Junker Queen. We’ll share further updates here at Shacknews as they become available.

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    June 23, 2022 3:50 PM

    TJ Denzer posted a new article, Overwatch 2 will fully replace the original game when it launches

    • reply
      June 23, 2022 3:57 PM

      Welp. That sucks. Guess I better get some of my last OW matches in.

      • reply
        June 23, 2022 4:51 PM

        Counterpoint: Good riddance!

        • reply
          June 23, 2022 4:52 PM

          Not sure how that's a counter point, but Sorry I don't like the changes that you do?

          Wish they'd allow us to keep playing the game we want to play.

          • reply
            June 23, 2022 6:42 PM

            Wouldn't really make sense to split the player base like that. I imagine it'll be available in some kind of arcade mode that pops up every now and then.

          • reply
            June 23, 2022 9:54 PM

            You'll be able to play 6v6 in custom lobby games, I guess, if you manage to find people.

            But why would you want to? The new modes are much better.

    • reply
      June 23, 2022 6:32 PM

      So OW2 is not a new game, just a major patch?

      • reply
        June 23, 2022 7:38 PM

        Always has been.

      • reply
        June 23, 2022 10:48 PM

        It should never have been a sequel. The singleplayer game should have been Overwatch: Subtitle.

        The multiplayer rework should have just been a major patch.

      • reply
        June 24, 2022 7:26 AM

        OW2 is what we call "a marketing clusterfuck." Really getting the sense that modern Blizzard is a hollow shell of its former self, governed by a gaggle of clueless executives.

    • reply
      June 23, 2022 6:39 PM

      That's not nice

      • reply
        June 24, 2022 6:26 AM

        Wish I could refund this crap. First paid purchase of a Blizzard game, the stink will never go away

    • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
      reply
      June 23, 2022 7:24 PM

      It's really only a negative if you dislike 5v5. Everything else they've changed isn't that different from what they've done in patches, some of which were very disruptive.

      • reply
        June 24, 2022 6:08 AM

        Doomfist and Orisa mains mourn :(

        • reply
          June 24, 2022 7:34 AM

          There's an argument for Doom, but Orisa is infinitely more fun to play in OW2.

    • reply
      June 24, 2022 6:04 AM

      They gotta make sure everybody participates in their F2P bullshit. Can't have people going back to the first Overwatch to play a normal game without being nagged at every corner to buy a battlepass or something

    • reply
      June 24, 2022 6:44 AM

      I hope they don't Warcraft 3 Reforged this.

      • reply
        June 24, 2022 7:39 AM

        In a few years they'll offer "Overwatch: Reborn", which is just a rollback to the original game for just $29.99 !

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