Summary
Overwatch 2has experienced significant changes in recent seasons, including a competitive rework, tank buffs, hero changes, and more. With Season 12 on the horizon, many are looking beyond the newest support hero, Juno, to evaluate the future of the hero-shooter. While Blizzard appears to be actively listening to its community, as evidenced by the6v6 test in Season 13, more could be done to satisfy its audience.
Blizzard’s unfortunate decision to scrap the game’s PvE missions in favor of PvP content is a large source of disappointment for lore enthusiasts. With nearly six seasons sinceOverwatch 2’s Invasion story progressed, it’s understandable that some players have grown frustrated by the lack of narrative development. Nevertheless, Blizzard could adopt an approach similar toMarvel Rivalsto continue its story with minimal effort.
Overwatch 2’s PvE Missions May Be Lost, But Its Story Could Persist
Blizzard Devs Confirmed Story Elements That Never Made It To The Game
Touted as a shinier, more innovative sequel toOverwatch, the follow-up made ambitious promises of Story Experience modes, Hero Missions, and skill tree Talents. After a lengthy development period significantly impacting the firstOverwatch’s quality, the announcement in March 2024 that Blizzard was “doubling down” on PvP was a crushing revelation. This, coupled with the fact that many of the studio’s employees, including its Lead Narrative Designer Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie, were caught up inthe massive Blizzard layoffsat the beginning of the year, left the community disheartened and uncertain about PvE’s future.
A tweet from Jurgens-Fyhrie on July 11 indicated that while some elements of the story mode and narrative didn’t come to fruition, the overall story was complete, or at least nearing completion. He expressed his sentiments by saying, “…I love the story we came up with for this and I hope it gets told someday.” Intriguingly, althoughsome aspects ofOverwatch 2’s narrativemay not currently have an outlet, there may be a way for Blizzard to potentially salvage it.
Marvel Rivals' Narrative Format Might Be the Solution Blizzard Has Been Seeking
SinceOverwatch 2’s Season 6 missions were halted, several loose threads remain unresolved. With fans eager to learn more about the Invasion storyline, including the role of the Omnic leader of Null Sector, Ramattra, it would be a missed opportunity if Blizzard chose not to incorporate these story elements in some way. Fortunately, NetEase Games' third-person hero-shooter,Marvel Rivals, may have the perfect solution.
Even in its playtesting phase, NetEase offers multiple avenues for players to delve into the in-game narrative. This includesMarvel Rivals' map-specific storiesthat can be observed when loading into a match, unlockable lore segments via Galacta in the battle pass, and story-telling tabs located within character profiles. WhileOverwatch 2provides character backstories in the Hero Gallery, it lacks the dynamic storytelling elements and progression-based lore found inMarvel Rivals.
Marvel RivalsandOverwatch 2both feature a history of comics, books, and cinematics. However, these formats are often less accessible for players who are more focused on the game itself. There are other straightforward methods forOverwatch 2to continue its story in-game, such as through the Missions and Intel Database tab, but few options might be as simple and effective as followingMarvel Rivals' approach.
Blizzard’s unfortunate decision to scrap the game’s PvE missions in favor of PvP content is a large source of disappointment for lore enthusiasts.
Although some players will make the effort to readbooks likeOverwatch: Declassified - An Official History, this is not the majority. If Blizzard were to adopt this strategy, it could help advance the Invasion narrative without placing too much strain on the development team. As such, incorporating elements of the narrative into the battle pass and unlockable hero stories could appeal toOverwatch 2’s lore-oriented player base.
Overwatch 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
