The days until BlizzCon 2019 are falling off the calendar and fans of the World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch developer will soon be gathering in Anaheim to learn about what is planned for the coming year. There are a ton of rumors, and speculation about six new game announcements, but one of the rumors will likely be the most interesting to fans of the hero shooter: An Overwatch 2 announcement trailer.
Blizzard is sure to have a ton of exciting news at the event next week, including a Diablo 4 announcement according to leaks, but let's just focus on Overwatch news for a moment. At this point, Overwatch is still performing very well. The game is popular across platforms and is earning a lot of additional revenue thanks to the recent release on Nintendo Switch. That said, Blizzard may see the looming new console generation as the perfect opportunity to release a numbered sequel to its competitive shooter IP.
Overwatch will have been around for about four years when Project Scarlett and the PS5 hit shelves holiday 2020, so offering a numbered sequel as a launch title seems like a smart play by Blizzard. A handful of leaks and rumors suggest a similar plan will be announced at BlizzCon 2019. Let's dive into everything we know about the rumors and leaks so far.
Note: Most of these leaks came from the same source, Metro, who has been a reliable source of Overwatch leaks in the past. That said, all of the following is definitely still in rumor territory and has not been officially announced or confirmed by Blizzard at this point.
Overwatch 2 Cinematic Trailer
The rumor claims that Blizzard is going to share a brand new Overwatch cinematic during BlizzCon. This video isn't rumored to feature any gameplay footage or new heroes. After what seems like a mostly normal Overwatch cinematic featuring some cool hero moments, it will close with a new Overwatch 2 logo. That's the mic drop moment to get ready for.
Which Heroes?
Although there are no rumors about the full roster of heroes for Overwatch 2, the source does claim to know everyone who will appear in the cinematic. That list is made up of Mei, Tracer, Winston, and Young Genji. At this point, it seems logical that fans could expect to see at least those four popular heroes in Overwatch 2, but likely many (if not all) the over Overwatch 1 heroes, as well. It seems logical that a sequel would launch with at least he original roster plus some new faces, so hopefully that ends up being the case. It would make sense for Blizzard to slowly release info about new heroes over the coming year to keep hype for the game at a high.
PvE and PvP Environments
There aren't many details here, but the rumor claims that there will be new PvE and PvP environments. This is heading a lot of fans to speculate about whether a more robust single player component may be included in the sequel. Although competitive PvP matches are obviously what Overwatch has been all about so far, it would be interesting to have some PvE options for gamers who aren't as into the player versus player gameplay loop.
New Leveling System
There is also talk about a new leveling system that will have a bigger impact on gameplay. Apparently, the leveling system will change certain abilities of players in the game. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out, if it is true. Perhaps it will only be a part of the PvE experience or maybe everyone playing in competitive matches will have to have reached a certain level, so that the whole squad has access to the same level of abilities. It's a very cool idea, but could obviously cause some concerns for balance issues in PvP.
Is It A New Game or An Add On?
This is the big question, right? After Fornite's recent massively successful Chapter 2 stunt, many players are curious about whether this is going to be a true sequel or just add-on content. If it is a true sequel, will all skins and other items or rewards be carried over to the new experience? Obviously the benefit of a games as service style experience is that players can get a lot of value out of the title for years, but it does complicate things when a numbered sequel finally rolls around. Hopefully Blizzard offers some details about this aspect of the game at BlizzCon 2019 and doesn't leave us wondering what to expect for most of the coming year.
No New Hero Announcement
Metro goes on to claim that because all resources are being dedicated to Overwatch 2, there will be no new hero announced at BlizzCon 2019. Some fans are questioning this particular piece of intel, because it clashes with so many earlier rumors about the reveal of a hero named Echo. It also seems like it would make sense to tease at least one brand new hero who will be available in the sequel... Even if it's just a quick appearance after the Overwatch 2 logo appears on the screen.
Overwatch 2 Logo
The most recent leak is that of the supposed Overwatch 2 logo with Tracer standing beside it. There's also a Coca-cola promotion that is supposedly set with it, but bear in mind, these could be simple fakes.
Next Gen Consoles and Release Date Window?
Unfortunately, none of the leaks or rumors offered any hints about exactly when the game would be arriving or which platforms would support it. It will be very interesting to see of Blizzard decides to make Overwatch 2 a true next-gen experience for PC, PS5, and Project Scarlett or if it will receive ports for both the current and next gen consoles. Also, with the original just arriving on Switch, we look forward to seeing if the sequel hits the Nintendo console on day one or if there is another delayed launch on that particular machine.
In just one week, fans will be able to watch the Overwatch presentation and finally find out which rumors are true and which theories were way off base. If Overwatch 2 is real, hopefully Blizzard offers more than just a quick tease and shares some concrete details on what the game will be like and when fans can expect it (even just a rough estimate). Many Warcraft fans were left frustrated after Blizzard went radio silent on Warcraft 3 Reforged after BlizzCon 2018, so hopefully the dev has learned from those problems and brought a bit more intel to share this time around.
Be sure to check back for more Blizzard rumors, news, and updates, in the coming days.
BlizzCon 2019 is scheduled to take place November 1 through November 3.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. There has not been an official announcement of Overwatch 2 yet.