The success of Overwatch 2 revitalized the franchise and gave players a new generation of content to look forward to. This month, Overwatch 2 gives fans an extra gift for Valentine's Day in the form of a dating sim called Loverwatch. Hosted by a Cupid form of Hanzo, Loverwatch is set to give players the chance to romance either Mercy or Genji when it is released on February 13. However, given the excitement surrounding the limited event and the large portion of the fan base that engages with shipping the characters, there's a good case to make the dating sim a more permanent feature in the Overwatch 2 experience.
While the original Overwatch gave little attention to the holiday of love, fans have been expressing interest in the romantic lives of the game's heroes since it was still in alpha. From the excitement centering around the Christmas comic that introduced fans to Tracer's girlfriend Emily to the long-suspected romance between Genji and Mercy, the demand from the community for more content that focuses on the softer side of the characters has always been there. Given that demand, it has seemed like only a matter of time until the Blizzard team made a feature like a dating sim that explored Overwatch characters' personal lives. While Loverwatch is a departure from the game's canon, it is right at home among its community of fans.
Keeping and Expanding Loverwatch
Season 3 has brought many changes to Overwatch 2, including new holidays given the focus on celebration, and while events and the exclusives that come with them are nothing new, this feature is set to drive community engagement outside direct play that could be worth keeping in the long term. Fans of the game have always had spaces to congregate and engage with the world of Overwatch outside the games themselves, but the addition of official Blizzard content that goes beyond the comics gives fans more to sink their teeth into when they are not in a match.
Although the official Loverwatch comes out soon, an unofficial dating sim of the same name was being made by Tumblr user loverwatch-game, although it has not seen any update in its development since 2017. Aside from this, many fans have expressed their fascination for the personal lives of the Overwatch cast, but the game isn't usually equipped to explore their downtime.
Giving fans not only an unlimited timeframe to romance the heroes, but more heroes to romance could therefore prove to be wildly popular. Overwatch 2 has an opportunity to generate close connections between players and the games' heroes like no game mode before. The official Loverwatch could finally fulfill a crucial niche depending on how Blizzard handles this feature in Overwatch 2.
Even for fans that held no interest in the personal lives of the characters they play as in fights, Loverwatch could still prove to be as fun as other dating sim spin-offs of popular games. Hanzo's love arrow is bound to hit the mark on the hearts of those who have grown close to the characters over the years, but with this companions game's potential to endear players even more to the heroes and with what it will add to the fan community, keeping Loverwatch on as a year-round feature seems like a logical conclusion to many fans. As Valentine's Day draws near and players prepare themselves for the event, fans will have to think about which character to choose as their Valentine.
Overwatch 2 is out now in early access for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
