The recent announcement that Blizzard plans to introduce Overwatch 2 earlier than expected, rolling out what’s currently finished and then the rest of the game over time, took many by surprise. Perhaps even more surprising is how quickly that rollout began, with Overwatch 2’s private alpha already ongoing. Now Blizzard appears ready to address the current state of Overwatch 2, feedback from the alpha, and plans for the beta, during a special developer broadcast airing on Friday.
In an announcement made mid-day Thursday, Blizzard confirmed that a special Overwatch 2 developer livestream is planned for tomorrow. The broadcast will air at 12 PM PST/3:00 PM ET on the official PlayOverwatch Twitch channel. Participants will include Overwatch esports host and commentator Soe Gschwind-Repp and Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller, as well as other members of the Blizzard development team. Again, the focus will be on Overwatch 2 alpha impressions, as well as goals for the first closed beta.
Technically, the Overwatch 2 alpha has been under NDA, meaning that this will be the first opportunity to hear impressions from it. In reality, there have been some leaks so far. Whether it’s xQc accidentally opening Overwatch 2’s alpha on stream or various pro Overwatch players vague-tweeting about the alpha, some hints have been shared despite the NDA. It will be interesting to hear how Blizzard’s official feedback resonates with certain criticisms already going around online – that Overwatch 2 is slower-paced, that supports feel less impactful.
As for Overwatch 2’s beta, Blizzard has said prior that it plans to start it in late April. As of right now, that timeline seems likely, if only because Blizzard continues to be focused on Overwatch 2’s usage for the Overwatch League 2022 season. Perhaps Blizzard will share a start date, as well as how Overwatch players can apply to join.
What makes tomorrow’s developer livestream for Overwatch 2 so exciting, though, isn’t necessarily what will be revealed, but that it’s happening at all. As Overwatch fans are deeply familiar with now, Blizzard has been incredibly disconnected from the Overwatch community regarding ongoing development for some time now. It was as if Jeff Kaplan’s departure severed the communication between Blizzard and players. Rebuilding that bridge is such an important effort, considering how vital it was to Overwatch’s initial success.
The driving message, even now, is that Overwatch 2 – or at least a portion of it – will be arriving much sooner than expected and more and more information will be shred week to week. Look forward to Friday’s show for more information from Blizzard, airing on the PlayOverwatch Twitch channel at noon PT.
Overwatch 2 is in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
