Blizzcon 2019 came with a whole slew of new announcements, apologies, and trailers for fans of Blizzard to enjoy. One such announcement was Overwatch 2, the sequel to Blizzard's hero shooter that expands on the game with new heroes, maps, and game modes. For some people, that apparently hasn't been enough, with some claiming that the game is more of an expansion than a sequel. Now, Overwatch 2 Game Director Jeff Kaplan has weighed in, explaining just how much content will actually be in the sequel.
Kaplan defined how he views sequels, stating, "A sequel is a brand new game, with new gameplay and features as well as an evolution of the game world." Kaplan continued, "Overwatch 2 is clearly a sequel by my definition... We’ve more than doubled the team size from the original game to make Overwatch 2. We’ll be introducing a full suite of new PvP maps to the game – what you would expect from a sequel to any shooter – including multiple new maps for every existing game mode currently in the game, as well as Push.” The information is in line with everything Blizzard announced at Blizzcon for Overwatch 2.
Sequel versus expansion pack argument aside, it's quite a bit of new content that players can expect to have added to the game, and there's bound to be more in the future if the size of the team has doubled. It indicates there will be more changes to the game than just changing the appearance of characters like Lucio, which should get fans excited about the future of Overwatch as a whole. From the ground up, the game is being completely revamped, even getting a much-updated game engine.
Of course, there's also the new story mode that fans have to look forward to, which Blizzard teases in Overwatch 2's cinematic trailer. That's, arguably, the biggest change to the game as a whole, and something that fans have been asking for since before even the original Overwatch launched. There aren't any solid details about how long the story will actually be, but if the writing is anywhere near the quality of some of Overwatch's character shorts then the experience will be quite a ride.
Blizzard hasn't formally announced how many characters will be available day one, but they have at least announced one, Soujourn. There are confirmed to be plenty more in the pipeline too, and the exsisting characters will be making a return in the sequel, meaning there should be an even broader roster to choose from for those that feel burnt out on the heroes currently available in Overwatch.
All in all, it's quite a bit of new content being added to the game, which should provide a nice refresh for those that have poured hundreds, or thousands, of hours into Overwatch. Blizzard has been good about regularly adding new content to the game, and, hopefully, Overwatch 2 will be no different.
Overwatch 2 is in development for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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Source: EDGE Magazine (via ComicBook)
