When we last heard the news of Overwatch 2, Activision Blizzard was making a sound, suggesting that we might not see it until 2023. Now, however, the publisher has announced plans to "decouple" Overwatch 2's PvP capabilities from the PvE system in order to get the team-based shooter sequel to players faster through a series of tests planned throughout 2022.
The news was released by Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller in a newly released developer video, and it has to be said that his claim is a bit odd, he described the testing phase that Blizzard planned to conduct for the rest of the year as a kind of generous reward for existing Overwatch players, as the developers chose to focus their attention entirely on Overwatch 2. At one point, he even thinks the beta version of Overwatch 2 "represents the most new content we've brought to the game since its launch."
"The change in rollout methods," he continues, "allows us to deliver frequent PvP content to gamers, with the goal of far exceeding the speed at which Overwatch previously published content and making the game the most active and dynamic PvP experience anywhere." "
Despite the odd news, the gist is that Blizzard will give PC players in specific regions the opportunity to try out all aspects of Overwatch 2 in a limited amount of time, starting in late April. The first closed test will include 5v5 gameplay, a new push mode, four new maps, escort maps Circuit Royal, a hybrid map Midtown, as well as new Queen Screen and Colosseo, and a new ping system. In addition, it will have new heroes Sojourn and four remodelings of existing heroes, including: Orisa, Doomfist, Bastion, and Sombra.
"Our goal at this stage is to test our new features, content, and systems before moving on to stress-testing servers with a broader player base in future beta testing," Blizzard explained on its website. Registration for the Closed Beta, which will be followed by the Closed Alpha Test for Blizzard employees and Overwatch League pros, has now begun.
At the beginning of the video, Blizzard admits that "we didn't communicate well, didn't keep you up to date, and, to be honest, we let you down when it came to delivering Overwatch content," and Keller finally promised more regular communication in the future, saying that the developer would discuss its learning, the changes it was considering, and what it wanted to test after each testing session.
As for what all this means for the full release of Overwatch 2, it's unclear. Keller said the public PvP test will follow the closed test "later this year," suggesting that the game's real arrival is still some way off.
Anyway, those interested in following Overwatch 2 can apply through the official website, which seems to be struggling with the surge in traffic at the moment. "If you're having trouble signing up," Activision Blizzard said, "please try again later today." "