When Overwatch first released in 2016, opinions were a little divided. On one hand, Overwatch defined 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 viewed Overwatch as merely an imitation of Valve's Team Fortress 2, which had essentially created the hero shooter almost a decade earlier. Right now, Overwatch 2 is facing a similar battle, but rather than being compared to a decade-old game, it's being compared to its predecessor.
Opinion on Overwatch 2 right now is pretty divided. While some fans believe that there's more than enough content for Overwatch 2 to 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 2 has had a handful of betas, and with every one, public opinion on the game shifts. With Overwatch 2 set 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.
Why There Needs To Be Another Overwatch 2 Beta
Overwatch 2 has just wrapped up its second full beta. Where the first beta introduced fans to the general gameplay tweaks of Overwatch 2, introducing a brand new 5v5 game mode along 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 in Overwatch 2.
At the end of the most recent Overwatch 2 beta, 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, Overwatch fans 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 that a new support hero will be heading to Overwatch 2 soon.
As was the case with Sojourn and the Junker Queen, this new support hero should receive their own Overwatch 2 beta, along with whatever new gameplay tweaks, map changes, and additions Blizzard has decided to add since the last beta. Additionally, Overwatch 2 still 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 quite skeptical on just how well Overwatch 2 will run on the Switch, it seems pretty necessary for Blizzard to release the next Overwatch 2 beta on the Nintendo handheld console.
With every new Overwatch 2 beta 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 for Overwatch 2 ahead of its October launch so that fans can be sure that it's a game worth picking up.
Overwatch 2 launches in early access on October 4 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.