Some heart-breaking news to read this early in the morning – Overwatch 2’s PVE mode has essentially been cancelled.
In an interview with Gamespot, game director Aaron Keller and executive producer Jared Neuss explains how the original 2019 vision for “Hero Mode” set a colossal expectation of scope that would have essentially ended up turning Overwatch 2 into two separate games.
The brand-new #Overwatch2 Roadmap is HERE! 🎉
Season 5:
🏰 Questwatch Event
🌟 Mischief & Magic
🐶 Cinematic Reveal
☀ Summer GamesSeason 6:
📚 Story Missions (PvE)
🏥 New Support Hero
🗺 Flashpoint
✨ Hero MasterySeason 7:
🛡 New Tank Hero
👀 New Collaboration Event
& More pic.twitter.com/HQnbV58jrA— Overwatch Cavalry (@OWCavalry) May 16, 2023
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So in it’s stead, the Overwatch team has pivoted to implement “Story Missions” as part of their seasonal content release. These PvE-flavoured experiences will explore the narrative side of the Overwatch story, and will utilise tools and mechanics that have already been developed and tested within the game.
For many, the gut-wrenching realisation is that the original vision that was shown for PvE back at Blizzcon 2019 will never be delivered. For those that remember the reveal all those years ago, what was shown was a progression-based system that would utilise talents to dramatically change how a hero played. Some of these changes were even showcased, with crazy mutators to well known abilities – such as Tracer’s pulse bomb chaining it’s explosion to nearby enemies; or Hanzo firing an arrow that would zip around and pierce enemies, Yondu style.
Keller addresses this, mentioning that that work is not likely to be wasted:
…we had put a lot of work into our Hero talents and there were a lot of really exciting things, not just with gameplay but with the fantasy of what a Hero was when we could start interacting with the hero that way. So we would like to bring those back in the future. It’s just going to take a different form than being a part of a new co-op game experience.
So while we may not be traipsing down a 50-point talent tree, odds are that we will at least interact with some of this amazing character fantasy in some way. They do also clarify that the scope of creating 50 unique talent items that meaningfully change a hero, then applying that creative process to a roster of 35+ heroes is daunting.
Overwhelmingly, it puts the Overwatch 2 team into an extraordinarily hard position. For many, the identity of the game as a sequel hinged on the concept of it being fleshed out into a dual experience – providing a narrative, PvE experience alongside it’s long-established PvP mode.
While the PvP mode had a gamut of changes to re-invigorate it, the vast majority of players clearly offered a level of expectation that it was just one side of a two-pronged effort to redefine the title. With the news that PvE will instead be offered in bite-sized portions as part of it’s seasonal PvP release schedule, many feel that it’s identity has been marginalised entirely.
Overwatch 2 PvE Skill Tree Deleted Today
Overwatch 2's PvE Hero Mode's main content is being scrapped, and it has been revealed that it will focus more on PvP updates.
What do you guys think about these decisions? pic.twitter.com/ePmHQm7vxA
— Naeri X 나에리 (@OverwatchNaeri) May 16, 2023
Moving forward, all that can be done is wait and see what the “Story Missions” offer. While we never got to experience the full scope of what “Hero Mode” may have delivered, the expectations set by it’s reveal all those years ago will be hard to meet.
So far, the seasonal content of Overwatch 2 has been delivering some unique and fun surprises – such as it’s recent PvPvE mode, StarWatch – but now there is a pile of (rightfully) sour grapes tempering people’s excitement.
How do you feel about the news? Was PvE a major reason you were playing Overwatch 2? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
Shoutouts to Gamespot.
Known throughout the interwebs simply as M0D3Rn, Ash is bad at video games. An old guard gamer who suffers from being generally opinionated, it comes as no surprise that he is both brutally loyal and yet, fiercely whimsical about all things electronic. On occasion will make a youtube video that actually gets views. Follow him on YouTube @Bad at Video Games
