WhenOverwatchfirst released in 2016, opinions were a little divided. On one hand,Overwatchdefined the hero shooter genre, and its vibrant art style, tight mechanics, and team-based gameplay set it apart from other first-person shooters of the time. But on the other hand, some fans viewedOverwatchas merely an imitation ofValve’sTeam Fortress 2, which had essentially created the hero shooter almost a decade earlier. Right now,Overwatch 2is facing a similar battle, but rather than being compared to a decade-old game, it’s being compared to its predecessor.
Opinion onOverwatch 2right now is pretty divided. While some fans believe that there’smore than enough content forOverwatch 2to justify its sequel status, a good portion of fans are disappointed with the game’s reused assets, maps, characters, and mechanics. However, over the last few months,Overwatch 2has had a handful of betas, and with every one, public opinion on the game shifts. WithOverwatch 2set for an October 4 release date, it seems likely that Blizzard will want to host at least one more beta for the game, and that’s a necessary move.
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Why There Needs To Be Another Overwatch 2 Beta
Overwatch 2has just wrapped up its second full beta. Where the first beta introduced fans to the general gameplay tweaks ofOverwatch 2, introducinga brand new 5v5 game modealong with some pretty significant changes to how some heroes play, the second beta was used to show off some more new content heading to the game on its October 4 release date. Some new maps, further altered hero mechanics, and a brand-new hero, the Junker Queen, were all just a few examples of the new content inOverwatch 2.
At the end of the most recentOverwatch 2beta, some eagle-eyed fans spotted a hidden code on the exit screen. When the code was deciphered, it read “what does the fox say?” While also being a reference to the bizarre parody song of the same name,Overwatchfans believed this message to mean a little more. Over the last few months, Blizzard has seemingly teased a fox-based hero quite a few times, beginning with the new Kanezaka map and further teased in some leaks that showed a female hero with a fox at her side. It seems as though this tease is designed to go hand-in-hand with the announcement thata new support hero will be heading toOverwatch 2soon.
As was the case with Sojourn and the Junker Queen, this new support hero should receive their ownOverwatch 2beta, along with whatever new gameplay tweaks, map changes, and additions Blizzard has decided to add since the last beta. Additionally,Overwatch 2still hasn’t been publicly tested on the Nintendo Switch yet. While PC players received exclusive access to the first beta, Xbox and PlayStation players were granted access to the second, and now, only the Nintendo Switch has gone without the beta treatment. With fans still quiteskeptical on just how wellOverwatch 2will run on the Switch, it seems pretty necessary for Blizzard to release the nextOverwatch 2beta on the Nintendo handheld console.
With every newOverwatch 2beta that gets released, general opinion on the game changes. The more people that actually get their hands on the divisive sequel, the more people are actually seeing what the game has to offer, and just how it differs from its predecessor. It seems like a pretty smart move to host at least one more beta forOverwatch 2ahead of its October launch so that fans can be sure that it’s a game worth picking up.
Overwatch 2launches in early access on October 4 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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