Blizzard has announced on Twitter today that the Overwatch 2 PVP beta is set for the end of April. The beta will feature the new 5v5 team format, a new hero: Sojourn, 4 new maps, a new mode: Push, reworks to Orisa, Doomfist, Bastion and Sombra along with a new ping system. Players can sign up for the beta at playoverwatch.com.
We look forward to building a new era of Overwatch 2 together ✨ pic.twitter.com/CadWUwlIxh
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) March 10, 2022
This announcement was accompanied by a video by Game Director Aaron Keller in which he describes a major shift in the plans for the release of Overwatch 2. After first acknowledging the team’s lack of communication with fans about the game, he admits that they have “let players down when it comes to the delivery of Overwatch content.” Keller then says that the team is committed to being more forthcoming with updates about Overwatch 2. He also says that when development started on Overwatch 2, most of the team was focused on the new game, which made the current live game suffer as a result.
Keller goes on to say that player feedback has made them reconsider their plans for the game, and so have decided to split the PVP portion of the game from the PVE portion so that they can get it out to players sooner. This new approach will allow them to deliver more frequent PVP content to the live game “with a goal of far exceeding Overwatch’s previous rate of content release.” They will begin with an alpha test today, and the beta at the end of April. The alpha test will be under NDA, and will only be available to Blizzard employees and Overwatch League pros. Keller also says that there will be additional PVP public betas later in the year that will include new features, new maps, and new heroes. In their commitment to being more open with communication, Keller also promises to be more open about what they’re learning during and after each beta test, and with what they’re planning to test next.
Overwatch 2 currently has no release date but has already had its scheduled release window delayed a few times.
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