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BlizzCon 2019: Overwatch 2 announced with focus on story, co-op modes

Gabe Gurwin
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Overwatch 2 Gameplay Trailer

Blizzard officially announced Overwatch 2 today during the BlizzCon 2019 opening ceremony, confirming earlier rumors that the sequel would be making big changes to the original game’s formula.

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In the announcement cinematic, Winston, Mei, and Tracer are sent to Paris to defend its citizens following a surprise attack by a group of Omnics and are soon joined by several other members of the original Overwatch team. After an enormous Transformers-like Omnic joins the fight and begins devastating the team, they quickly work together and combine abilities to defeat it with a bomb and Genji sword combo attack.

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Overwatch 2 features a player-versus-environment option split into two different categories. Story missions will be traditional campaign content, while Hero missions will be replayable cooperative experiences designed with a similar goal as the Adventure mode in Diablo III. You will be able to keep playing them to enhance your character, though it will likely not affect their performance in player-versus-player battles.

You will be able to level up and customize abilities in Overwatch 2, with a focus on giving you the exact version of the character you want to play. All characters have had a visual redesign, as well, and newcomers like Echo will join the fight for the first time.

Competitive multiplayer isn’t being forgotten, either. New maps will be added alongside the existing ones, and a new mode called “Push” offers a staple for quick play, competitive play, and The Overwatch League. It will retain the six-versus-six structure of the original, and your favorite heroes’ moves will still be available.

All players in both Overwatch and Overwatch 2 will have access to the same competitive multiplayer maps and characters, and all progress for cosmetic items you earned in the first game carry over to the sequel. At over 50 million players, Blizzard wants to keep its community together.

As of this time, Blizzard has not revealed a release date for Overwatch 2. The original game is available on Xbox One, PS4, PC, and as of October, Nintendo Switch, and Overwatch 2 will support all of these, as well. With new consoles releasing in 2020, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it also launch on those with cross-platform support.

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Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
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