An Overwatch leaker says that Overwatch 2 "is very likely" to release early next year. In a tweet, streamer Metro said they expect the sequel to arrive in February, coinciding with BlizzCon 2021.
Metro, who predicted the reveal of Overwatch 2 ahead of BlizzCon 2019, as well as the arrival of new hero Ashe, says that the next season of the Overwatch League could be delayed until April to ensure that it can launch with or after the new game. In turn, that would suggest that BlizzCon 2021 could feature a surprise drop of either a beta or a full release of the sequel.
Overwatch 2 release news! 🤠Rumors of the next OWL season being delayed until April to make sure they can launch with OW2 suggest that the expected beta or even full release of the game around Blizzcon in February 2021 is very likely!October 18, 2020
Metro's track record aside, there's some other clues that point to some major Overwatch 2 news at BlizzCon. Back in January, PlayStation Brazil tweeted and then deleted a post that "2020 will be the year Overwatch 2 comes to PS4." That was before the coronavirus pandemic forced Blizzard to delay their annual conference, which normally takes place in November, pushing BlizzCon 2020 to an all-digital event now scheduled to take place in February 2021.
Assuming Blizzard was originally planning to launch its new game at the show, there's no reason the announcement couldn't be pushed back alongside with the event itself. As has been the case at many other studios, it's also possible that a shift to remote working slowed development down, and that the team is taking advantage of a few extra months to add the final touches to the game. Either way, Overwatch fans should keep their eyes peeled for news over the next few months.
February's still a while off, so while you wait, here's our Overwatch 2 guide to what we're expecting from the FPS sequel.
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I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.