It's been over five years since the launch of the original Overwatch game, and it seems safe to say that fans are ready for Overwatch 2. While some expected Overwatch 2 to launch in 2021, Blizzard has since confirmed that won't be the case, meaning the earliest fans can expect the sequel to Blizzard's popular hero-shooter is 2022. And while Blizzard itself has not revealed any details about the Overwatch 2 release date, recent news about the Overwatch League could back up recent rumors about when to expect the game.

The Overwatch League is Blizzard's professional esports league tied to Overwatch. It's been confirmed that the next season of the Overwatch League, scheduled to kick off in April of 2022, will be using an early build of Overwatch 2 as opposed to the original Overwatch game. This is reportedly so that the Overwatch League doesn't have to change from one game to the next in the middle of the season, which would understandably be disruptive to players and teams.

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Reading between the lines, it stands to reason that this means Blizzard is looking to release Overwatch 2 within the next Overwatch League season. Rumors have pointed to the Overwatch 2 release date specifically aiming for Q2 of 2022, which would encompass the range of April 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022, and so it seems like Overwatch League's plans to use OW2 instead of the first game back up these rumors.

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Fans should keep their expectations in check still, however. It's entirely possible that Blizzard's plans will change between now and when the next season of the Overwatch League kicks off. Maybe there will be some unforeseen technical setbacks or other issues that prevent things from going the way Blizzard has planned. However, reliable sources have said that the Overwatch 2 team is currently working on polishing what they already have and preparing it for launch, so it seems unlikely that the game's release date will slip beyond Q2 of 2022.

That proposed release window would also encompass the month that seems like the most obvious choice for the Overwatch 2 release month. May of 2022 will mark the six year anniversary of Overwatch, and so it seems like Blizzard could capitalize on that by releasing Overwatch 2 that same month. As it stands, no official release date for Overwatch 2 has actually been announced, and it's always best to take these rumors with a grain of salt.

While these Overwatch 2 release date rumors have yet to be proven true, Blizzard's apparent plans with the Overwatch League certainly work in their favor. Perhaps fans will get to learn more about Overwatch 2 in the final few months of the year, but otherwise they should be able to look forward to learning more about the game at BlizzCon 2022.

Overwatch 2 is in development.

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