Overwatch 2 recently debuted with Blizzard launching a closed beta for the online multiplayer shooter sequel. The developer pulled out all the stops for Overwatch 2's debut, partnering with a significant number of high-profile Twitch streamers. Around 1.5 million concurrent viewers tuned into Overwatch 2 when it started, an astonishing number for any game. But in a shocking turn, Overwatch 2's Twitch viewership has plummeted in a way that may never have happened before. Its Twitch viewership has shrunk to a fraction of previous totals.
Twitch viewership for Overwatch 2 has tumbled to a surprising low over the past week, despite the closed beta only being available for just over a week. The average Twitch viewership over the past week is down to around 11,500. Current viewership is closer to 6,000 or 7,000. While a massive drop from 1.5 million viewers was expected, since that'd be impossible to maintain, the new viewership levels are bleak.
To add some perspective to the situation, the current top-streaming game on Twitch is Grand Theft Auto 5 with nearly 500,000 viewers. Overwatch 2's current 6,000 viewers have it ranked as the 62nd most-watched category, just above Konami's eFootball 2022. Most of those viewers are coming from a single channel, French streamer FefeGG and his 3,500 viewers. No other Twitch streamer has more than a thousand viewers.
In all fairness to Overwatch 2, there's a partial reason for why its viewership is so low on Twitch. That's because Blizzard is more heavily focused on YouTube due to a contract for streaming the Overwatch League on the platform. Most viewers are either watching the Overwatch League on YouTube or they're waiting for the Overwatch League's daily matches to end, so their favorite streamers will come online.
With that said, it's also worth acknowledging that Overwatch League viewership isn't as insane as Overwatch 2's debut by any means. Viewership is approaching 100,000 for the Overwatch League 2022 Season's first day (for now). That's likely not as high as Blizzard would want to see for the kick-off of Overwatch 2 esports and not the total that will be tuning in day to day, either.
There have been a lot of questions regarding whether Blizzard's decision to soft-launch Overwatch 2 early was the correct decision. Whether it was the right decision for Blizzard to get a partial version of Overwatch 2's PvP out to support the Overwatch League, followed by frequent content updates, versus waiting for all of Overwatch 2's PvP and PvE to be finished, will only be proven in time.
Overwatch 2 is in development.
Source: TwitchTracker
