Overwatch 2: 7 Ways Everything Is Changing

Overwatch 2 is going free-to-play, and Blizzard promise a lot more new content a lot more regularly. We spoke to the game’s director Aaron Keller about how it’s all going to work.

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Overwatch 2 is officially going free-to-play, but that's not the biggest change coming to the game. Ahead of the next Overwatch 2 beta, where the new hero Junker Queen and new map Paraiso will officially debut in the game, we went to Blizzard HQ to speak with the game's director Aaron Keller about what we can expect from Overwatch 2 when it launches on October 4, 2022.

Not only is the game going free-to-play, but Overwatch 2 is losing its loot boxes, instead opting for an in-game store and a Battle Pass to deal out unlockables, which now include weapon charms and Mythic Skins. Aaron also discusses what happened to Overwatch 2's PvE content: earlier in 2022, Blizzard announced that it was being "decoupled" from the PvP, but in this video, he goes into detail on how we'll be able to play the new mode next year. He also details the game's newest tank hero, Junker Queen, and we get a look at two new maps, Paraiso in Rio, and Portugal.

Overwatch 2 will have cross-platform play and cross-progression when it launches on October 4th for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. The next beta will start on June 28, and while progress won't carry over to the final game, it's a chance to play the new hero, Junker Queen for the first time.

Activision Blizzard continues to address allegations from a state of California lawsuit accusing parent company Activision Blizzard of fostering a "frat boy culture" of harassment and discrimination against women. For the latest on what's happening with regard to the ongoing legal action, take a look at our timeline of events: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/act...


Time stamps:

00:00 Intro
00:18 Why Overwatch 2 is going free-to-play
01:32 How Overwatch 2 seasons will work
02:23 Overwatch 2 roadmap
02:59 Loot boxes, weapon charms, Mythic Skins
04:06 Overwatch 2 PvE
06:19 New hero: Junker Queen
08:03 New maps: Paraiso and Portugal