During the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda Showcase, Overwatch 2 released an extended trailer revealing a new character and some information regarding the progress of its development. The trailer showed a glimpse of Junker Queen, and stated that the sequel’s free-to-play multiplayer action will launch in Early Access on October 4.

Blizzard has been working on Overwatch 2 for some time now, and fans have been eager to jump into the sequel after the recent PvP beta. The announcement at today's showcase gives players a time when they can continue the experience they started with the beta, and will allow developers to further polish their game and upcoming story mode before a full release.

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How Early Access Will Benefit Overwatch 2 Multiplayer

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Overwatch 2 is following in the footsteps of many competitive multiplayer games. Titles like Halo Infinite and Call of Duty: Warzone launched their respective multiplayer modes as free-to-play experinces, with a great reception from fans. The key benefit of making a game free is expanding its potential audience. Overwatch already has a solid following, but the length of development for Overwatch 2 may have turned off some fans from purchasing the new title.

Overwatch 2's free-to-play status means it will likely have to adjust the formula for progression and the acquisition of new cosmetics or heroes. Many recent multiplayer games feature a season pass that allows players to follow a progression system and obtain new items, but the original Overwatch featured loot boxes that have been controversial due to their random and inconsistent rewards. This sequel could benefit from adopting a season pass model that gives players more of a sense of accomplishment when receiving rewards.

Announcing Overwatch 2 PvP as an Early Access title is interesting and smart for Blizzard. Fans of the original know the hero-shooter is constantly being tweaked to better balance each individual hero, so the idea of Early Access content won't be a huge departure. Changes and necessary adjustments are made transparent by Blizzard's blog posts for each update. Since Overwatch 2 is coming with so many changes to gameplay and heroes, Early Access will effectively act as a long-term beta that allows players to experience changes first-hand as the developers track trends.

Releasing the multiplayer as a standalone experience before the full game's release should quell fans’ concerns regarding an official release date. After the release of the first beta, many players had a hard time reverting to the style of the first game considering Overwatch 2 features new modes, team setups, and hero kits that are drastically different from its predecessor. Luckily, the PvP mode will be launching soon, and more information about any changes will likely be shared in the coming months.

What Early Access Means for Overwatch 2's Story

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Aside from just revamping multiplayer, Blizzard has promised that Overwatch 2 will feature a story campaign. Adding a campaign makes perfect sense in Overwatch, since it features such a colorful cast of characters with interesting backstories that have only been told through cinematics and brief snippets of in-game dialogue. Fans of the game who have become invested in the characters and their stories should be excited about the early multiplayer release, as it may allow the developers to put more of a focus on story and PvE elements to fully flesh them out.

Overwatch 2 is gaining some momentum for its full release. Even though no official release date has been announced for the full game, this Early Access launch may be a good sign for fans.

Overwatch 2 launches in Early Access for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 4.

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