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Blizzard confirmed yesterday in a roundtable interview that October 2 will be the last day users are able to play the original Overwatch that released in 2016. The servers will shut down sometime on October 2 (if you're in the Pacific timezone; no specific time was mentioned, so it may be October 3 depending on your timezone), and roughly 27 hours later the Overwatch 2 servers will go up, at which point it will be the only Overwatch experience in operation.

"We'll give current Overwatch players the ability to download Overwatch 2 a little bit ahead of when we launch, if they want to pre-download," said commercial lead Jon Spector. "We'll share a kind of launch checklist with players ahead of things so that they have a smooth experience getting in on 4th October, when we launch."

Overwatch 2 will be free-to-play, so old players won't need to pay again to upgrade to the new version, but the experience will undoubtedly be different in a free-to-play game. Reportedly, loot boxes will be a thing of the past, and will be replaced by a Battle Pass, with both a free and a premium version. There will also be an item shop where players can spend a premium currency to buy items directly. (More information on Overwatch 2's monetization can be found in Eurogamer's very detailed breakdown here.)

This release comes at the end of a somewhat troubled development cycle for Overwatch 2. Originally announced in 2019, it was expected to exist alongside the original, offering an alternate entry point into a shared multiplayer space rather than replacing the first Overwatch. Development continued quietly until last year when, in the months following the Activision Blizzard's legal troubles, its director and head developer both exited the company with more than a year remaining before release.

 

[Minox]

The game barely had a 6 year lifespan... That's not what I expect when buying into a full-priced $60 shooter on PC. I expect it to last at LEAST 10 years, minimum. Meanwhile, TF2 is never going to die...

Depends on which TF2 you mean

 

[BaamAlex]

Wow...I play this game since the release...and now this? Shitty move bli$$, shitty move. Then I don't have a reason to play this game anymore. I don't see the reason to waste money again for technically the same game just with a 2 at the end of the title.

Holy moly, even the Diablo 2 servers have a longer lifespan...

 

[PewnyPL]

Hold up, didn't they originally, when first announced, say that OW1 and OW2 will work alongside each other, with cross-play between the two, just OW1 players wouldn't be able to access any of the new stuff?
That, along with the free to play model, is quite a big shift from it...

 

[Jayro]

Depends on which TF2 you mean

There's only one game named Team Fortress 2...

 

[Minox]

There's only one game named Team Fortress 2...

Yes, but TF2 is also what Titanfall 2 is often shortened as

 

[relauby]

Hold up, didn't they originally, when first announced, say that OW1 and OW2 will work alongside each other, with cross-play between the two, just OW1 players wouldn't be able to access any of the new stuff?
That, along with the free to play model, is quite a big shift from it...

You're right, except they actually said that OW1 players would be able to access the new characters too.

 

[sombrerosonic]

The game barely had a 6 year lifespan... That's not what I expect when buying into a full-priced $60 shooter on PC. I expect it to last at LEAST 10 years, minimum. Meanwhile, TF2 is never going to die...

I guess heavy is dancing on this games grave then.

 

[xdarkmario]

im mad because i brought a $63 game and while i did get plenty hours out of it i will soon no longer own that game i brought! and worse i cant play it at all or have a nostalgia trip in the years to come! Also i dont like the direction overwatch 2 is going in and likely wont be playing it so its a overall loss on my hands

 

[Nightcat]

This is lame. Whether you like or hate Overwatch 2, it’s definitely not the same game. More developers need to make the framework for community servers available after the official servers go under.

 

[MartyDreamy]

OW became what it became after Jeff left Blizzard. It's not the same without him.

 

[Jayro]

Yes, but TF2 is also what Titanfall 2 is often shortened as

I don't even know anyone IRL that plays that old game.

 

[Julie_Pilgrim]

world peacce for 27 hours

 

[KitChan]

OW became what it became after Jeff left Blizzard. It's not the same without him.

It was becoming that before he left, which I suspect influenced his decision to leave.

 

[DoctorBagPhD]

So glad I bought it for peanuts off of G2A way back when instead of actually giving those greedy cunts any money.

 

[engagex]

If I understand correctly, people payed for Overwatch, devs are killing it because they are releasing a sequel and only compensation is having earlier access to Overwatch 2? I would be pretty pissed off tbh.

Lol and here I am tripple dip overwatch on ps4,switch and pc. As long papa Jeff is happy im happy

 

[LainaGabranth]

God I wish there was a law requiring you to release any online games and their source code if you shut them down.