Overwatch 2 Slowed Down New Content For The First Game

Overwatch 2 was one of the two major announcements of BlizzCon 2019, and while the game's existence had been leaked beforehand, there was some surprise news regarding the sequel. All new characters, maps, and modes coming to the game will also be added to the first Overwatch. Series director Jeff Kaplan has said that this was a difficult decision to make and convince people on, but that it was ultimately the best choice for players. But it has also meant, in the short term, that the Overwatch experience has perhaps been less fresh than it could have been because of the need to devote resources to Overwatch 2.

Speaking with Kotaku, Kaplan opened up about why the original game has seen fewer new seasonal events over time. "Overwatch 2 was 100 percent the reason," Kaplan said, stating that the team was pained because it could not craft interesting new seasonal events. "Like, I sit right next to one of the designers of Junkenstein’s Revenge--this brilliant guy named Mike Heiberg--and he’s like, 'I have all these ideas I want to do for Halloween this year.' And I’m like, 'I understand, Mike, but we’re focused on this other thing right now.'"

Kaplan says that, once Overwatch 2 is done (and it's not clear when that will be), the original game will benefit too. "The fact that we can pick up again with that live service cadence, where we’re 100 percent focused, is really exciting to me."

Hopefully Overwatch 2 will be worth the wait. We've gone hands-on with the game's new campaign at BlizzCon, and collected together all the details we know so far.