Summary
According to some formerOverwatch 2developers, the troubled development, poor reception, and recent layoffs have led to an uncertain future for the game’s PvE Story Missions. What was once a headlining feature ofOverwatch 2may never get the opportunity to shine if these devs' fears come true.
WhenOverwatch 2was first announced in 2019, its PvE content was a central pillar of the sequel’s creation. However, many of these PvE features were canceled in 2023 shortly before a set of three Story Missions were released in August duringOverwatch 2Season 6. Though they ended on a cliffhanger,Overwatch 2has been silent on the subject of more Story Missionssince then.
Now, some formerOverwatch 2developers have shared fears that there may never be more Story Missions in the Blizzard FPS. During anOverwatch 2interview with Kotaku, a group of ex-Blizzard devs who wished to remain anonymous said that the first three Story Missions “did not do well at all,” either in player satisfaction or financial success. Additionally, they confirmed the Microsoft layoffs from January impacted many developers who were working on events, PvE content, and narrative elements. “If they’re gonna make more of that stuff, they just laid off all the people who were working on it,” one developer said. “Maybe there’s some other way they could do it, but most of the people laid off from theOverwatchteam were working on that pillar.”
Overwatch 2 Story Missions Might Be a Lost Cause
According to the devs, thedevelopment process forOverwatch 2PvE has been a strugglesince the beginning. While PvP was always core toOverwatch 2’s success, there were difficulties in adapting the PvP-centric hero kits to be useful in PvE. These problems meant more development time, however – and that bred a subtle negative internal sentiment towards PvE. “Everybody still cared a lot about PvE, though, and that includes team leadership,” they said, “[but] it really doesn’t seem like, even from a business perspective, that Activision or Microsoft have any faith in the PvE.”
“Maybe there’s some other way they could do it, but most of the people laid off from theOverwatchteam were working on that pillar.”
These sources indicate thatOverwatch 2PvE was mired in indecision, pessimism, and inflated expectations from the onset. Blizzard executives would ask if the content was of “Blizzard Quality,” while also saying, “Don’t worry about it. It’ll be fine. We have so much confidence in it. Trust us.” These factors sparked frustration and uncertainty that the devs in question think led to its current limbo. “It’s always leadership or game directors, deciding they need to spend the extra time. So honestly, if they could have just made any kind of decisions, the game would have shipped years ago.” Allegedly, the intent was forOverwatch 2to release three new Story Missionsevery 18 months, but given its policies and the layoffs, these ex-Blizzard devs don’t know if that release schedule is feasible, despite every mission reportedly being in some stage of development, ranging from fully playable to early concept.
While this testimony does not confirm the doom ofOverwatch 2’s unfinished Story Mission campaign, it is not the only evidence suggesting this fate.Overwatch 2recently swapped the position of the Missions cardwith the Hero Mastery one, relegating the campaign to a smaller button in the process. Considering all of these factors, things do not look good for the future ofOverwatch 2’s co-op Story missions.
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.
