From pricey cosmetics to major hero reworks and confusing competitive ranks, Overwatch 2’s first full year was a doozy
Overwatch 2 debuted in late 2022, and the controversial sequel to Blizzard’s beloved hero shooter struggled in its first few months. Messaging around it was confusing (we were meant to get a sequel that shared a multiplayer environment with the original game, instead the original game was shut down), expectations weren’t met (Overwatch 2 launched in quite a messy state), and the battle pass monetization shift frustrated long-time fans (self-explanatory). But 2023 was the first full year of Overwatch 2 support, content, and gameplay, and Blizzard has made some major strides.
At times, it felt like a two-steps-forward, one-step-back dance—we got some great crossovers, but the cosmetics were expensive, and PvE was gutted, but good, but expensive. As long-term Overwatch fans, it’s been a strange year for the hero shooter and its expanded universe, but despite its ups and downs, we remained pretty regular players. That has to say something about the game, right?
So, let’s look back at the year in Overwatch 2, from new heroes to old classics, and all the Pride parade in between.
