In late January, I was among a group of journalists from all around the world packed into the Blizzard Theater in Irvine, California, to watch the 40-minute Overwatch spotlight and hear from Blizzard execs about where the game was going next. I was not prepared for what we saw. Nor were the other journalists, who gasped, laughed and sometimes comically swore as the video showed us what's coming next for the hero shooter franchise -- which turns a decade old later this year.
What stirred up such audible reactions? An ongoing story that's reflected directly in the game. New subroles with distinct passive abilities. Ten new heroes are coming this year, five of which are arriving next week. One of the later heroes is freaking Jetpack Cat, who was dreamed up in concept art and scrapped before the game was even released. And maybe most surprisingly, dropping the "2" so the game returns to simply being "Overwatch."
One of the first questions to that group of execs was about changing the title from Overwatch 2 back to Overwatch -- why change, and what does it mean? Johanna Faries, president of Blizzard Entertainment, said the team thought it was the right time for Overwatch to turn the corner in a big way. "It sets us up for a much broader conversation on where the future of this universe [is] and where these characters are going to go."
Johanna Faries and other Blizzard execs spoke about why now was the right time for Overwatch to make big moves. Blizzard
Blizzard's big swing to revitalize Overwatch comes as the game approaches its 10th anniversary in May. Gaming is different in 2026, as newer live-service games can disappear in an instant, and even more tenured franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield can struggle to retain players. Even Overwatch finally has a major, direct competitor in the team hero shooter genre in Marvel Rivals. So for Blizzard to step up and commit so boldly to this vision is a jolt, a burst of life into a game that has already spent the past couple of years solidifying and expanding its identity with new game modes and features like perks and map voting.
The announcements are both a celebration of the game's history and a statement that the game is building a bolder future for itself.
Across my own nine-year history playing Overwatch, I've experienced its ups and downs, from the heights of queuing with a full six-stack and joining organized team play to the lows of the seemingly interminable double shield meta. And after talking to hero designers, narrative designers, systems designers, artists and voice actors, I left the Blizzard campus reflecting on the idea of playing Overwatch and following its larger story after all these new initiatives launch. One thought stuck with me.
This is how the game was always supposed to feel.
The emotion of a new cinematic driving the story of Overwatch forward, of puzzling over 10 hero silhouettes and learning that five of them would be ready to play almost immediately… it kindled the same kind of anticipation I had in the movie theater where I first awed over an early Overwatch trailer.
Best of all, fans won't have to wait for this new era of Overwatch, as its fittingly rebadged Season 1 is launching next week with five heroes up-front and another new hero roughly every other month in each new season. We'll get two new maps later in the year, alongside the return of postmatch accolades, which updated the old voting cards that let you show some love to players on either team who performed particularly well in a match.
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