Overwatch 2 Will Copy Fortnite Chapter 2 and Replace Previous Version?
There are new rumors about Overwatch 2, claiming that the game will not be available in parallel with the first installment of the game. Instead, it will replace the original, and the entire community will be automatically moved to the second game. In addition, the franchise plans to switch to a free-to-play model.
Yesterday we wrote about rumors concerning Overwatch 2, a continuation of the popular online shooter from 2016. Now there are new speculations that suggest that Blizzard Entertainment has quite surprising plans for this project.
According to the latest rumors, Overwatch 2 is to replace the first installment, which would no longer be available at the time of the release of the continuation. The source of this information is a fan called Metro_OW. He is a well-informed person, whose previous reports about Blizzard's games have repeatedly proved to be true.
Metro_OW compares Blizzard's plans to the change in Fortnite, which has been replaced by Fortnite: Chapter 2. In Overwatch 2 the metamorphosis is expected to be much greater. The game will use a new graphic engine. PvP mode will be thoroughly rebuilt and PvE battles will be added. So it will not be an update, but a completely new game.
According to Metro_OW the devs want to abandon the first Overwatch and move the players to the second installment in order not to risk dividing the community into two groups. It would also be a good opportunity to regain the interest of people who previously played the game but then gave it up.
Of course, such a strategy will only work if Overwatch 2 is available for free to the owners of the first installment. Interestingly, Metro_OW claims that Blizzard is planning to switch the game to a free-to-play model. He doesn't know, whether this will happen to Overwatch or the developers will wait until the game is replaced by the continuation, which is expected next year.
The most surprising news from Metro_OW is that Blizzard is currently not planning to allow players to move progress and skins from Overwatch to Overwatch 2, but this may change, as it's hard to imagine that such a move wouldn't make the community angry, especially considering that the first Overwatch would no longer be available with the release of the second part.
It is worth mentioning that ESPN also published an article about Overwatch 2, in which it refers to documents prepared for BlizzCon. According to the source, in PvE mode, four players will join forces against artificial intelligence and one of the missions will take place in Rio de Janeiro. In addition, there are plans for an additional variant of PvP called Push, and among its maps, there will be a level set in Toronto. However, it is not entirely clear whether this mode will debut only in Overwatch 2, or it will also apprear in the first part.
The remaining information provided by ESPN coincides with yesterday's Metro_OW reports, which increases the chances that the latest news from this source will turn out to be true.
Overwatch debuted on May 24, 2016 on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, while this month the game was finally released on Nintendo Switch.
