Blizzcon will at last be returning as an in person event later this year after its Covid induced hiatus. While many of Activision Blizzard's properties will inevitably have their time in the spotlight at the event, Overwatch 2 could be expecting an especially eventful year. From controversies within the studio itself, to the games own struggles, the game could benefit from a bit of exciting news, and with its fans eager for some aspects of the game that have not yet been released, Overwatch 2 might well have a lot to say about itself by the time that Blizzcon 2023 comes around.
The studio that brought the world titles such as World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo has been holding its own conference to meet with fans and announce new games and updates since 2005. And while the event has managed to deliver on exciting announcement for all the titles owned by Blizzard while having to remain online only because of the pandemic and internal issues with the studio, the return of Blizzcon gives a new start to both the studio and its games, both of whom have not enjoyed direct fan interaction for their announcements while having to release new info to an audience through a camera instead of a convention floor.
Blizzcon Returns Right as Overwatch 2 Carries a lot of Expectations
While the first Overwatch game released to acclaim and wide popularity, as with many fans it became a favorite even before it got out of Alpha, Overwatch 2 has seen controversies since before its release. With many players taking issue with the changes in gameplay and character design, the game has retained much of the popularity of its predecessor, but with considerably less acclaim. But many players still have hope for the game to recapture the magic of the first title, and for good reason. Many of the features that had fans excited about the new game are expected to come this year, and what better place than Blizzcon’s in-person revival for players to receive further details about what already has them excited.
One of these features is the much anticipated PvE. Fans of Overwatch have always been eager for a story mode, given the games focus on its characters and extensive lore, a mode of play that allowed players to directly engage with both seemed inevitable. Overwatch 2 promised fans that they could expect to see this implemented in the game in the future, and Blizzcon could serve as the perfect place to reveal the details of what this will look like to fan. Finally having a room full of fans to react to cut scene footage or announcements of major plot points could be a great way to welcome the return of the event after years without such engagement.
As with its predecessor, plenty of seasonal events are lined up for the next year with Overwatch 2, but with the Lunar new year event leaving some fans disappointed, many players might be looking forward to a possible announcement of updated or improved events in this year's Blizzcon. Though the rest of the years expected events that fans also enjoyed in the original Overwatch are unlikely to change, if the event takes place in early November as it has in years past, players might be able to look forward to exciting new features for winter wonderland, 2024's lunar new year, or maybe even news about another event entirely.
Many fans have noted that Overwatch 2 seems to lack some of the polish of the original game. Many crucial features and element of the game were far from perfect at the time of release, and while players might have been forgiving of this had many of the new promised aspects been available upon release, like the PvE mode, with most of those missing as well, some find themselves wary of how long they will have to wait until the game reaches its full potential. Luckily for players, Overwatch 2 has recently fixed its in-game communication, and with Blizzcon promised for later this year, fans can expect any other lingering problems to at least be addressed by the development team.
No new hero has been announced for season 3 yet, and with this being the year of big changes and the return of such a large event, many fans suspect that Blizzard is waiting for an audience in front of them in the convention hall before they give a new character and short to accompany them. In the meantime, the expansive lore of them game gives plenty to speculate on as to who this new character could be. Kiriko introduced players to the group known as Yokai, which could lead to more heroes from the group joining the cast, but that will likely be much later. Some fans have speculated that the still unrelease character Mauga will finally make an appearance, while others think Maximilien, a high-ranking Omnic within Talon, will come to serve as a foil to Zenyatta.
Activision Blizzard has struggled with controversy over the past few years, and several of its franchises, including Overwatch, have likely suffered because of it. The return of Blizzcon gives fans and the studio a much-needed return to normalcy, and with it, a sense of familiarity that both stands opposed to, and perfectly complements the spirit of the event where fans can expect to hear more about their old favorites and new releases. Whatever fans of Overwatch will learn at the event, many players will again have the pleasure of hearing straight from the source from their seats in the conference center.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
