Is Overwatch 2 Delayed?

Is Overwatch 2 delayed?

Blizzard Entertainment has stated that more updates on the development of Overwatch 2 will be officially released during BlizzConline, but is the game delayed?

A well-established leaker claims so. Alex, otherwise known as "Metro," leaked rumors about BlizzCon 2019 that proved to be true before, and claimed to have "heard things" during a stream when answering a Twitch comment regarding Overwatch 2 earlier this year.

"Any thoughts on Overwatch 2's release? What do you mean 'thoughts?' You mean, like leaked release dates or do you mean what I think? You mean, like, leaked release dates or do you mean what I think? I've heard things, I've heard that they are really fucking slow and that they are delaying it. I heard they are really slow at developing it. From what I heard, it doesn't sound good at all. It sounds like it's very far off."

Overwatch 2 was announced on Nov. 1, 2019 in a cinematic feature where Winston, Tracer, and Mei land in Paris. An official release date was never given. Fans were given an insight into what the game is supposed to look like, as well as information regarding what is new about Overwatch 2. Customizable abilities, new heroes, new maps, and new gameplay modes had Overwatch enthusiasts excited about the game.

There were little to no updates until Dec. 16, 2020, wherein Jeff Kaplan announced that there were more Overwatch 2 updates to come in February 2021. Kaplan claimed that the big focus at the time was Overwatch 2 and that the team size grew in order to develop the game. Later, in January, there were new job listings on Blizzard Entertainment's career website that were looking for animators, designers, artists, engineers, and more specifically for Overwatch 2. This confirmed Jeff Kaplan's statement about the team size at Blizzard growing in order to work on the game. But what about the February announcement?

Fans were disappointed when an update did arrive in February. Yesterday, Geoff Keighley and other media sources claimed that during earnings call, Blizzard Entertainment revealed it would not release Overwatch 2 in 2021 (or Diablo 4). While there are rumors that they are behind schedule because a specific date was never given it would be incorrect to state that the game is delayed.

It is worth noting, as a closing note, that the first Overwatch game was announced on Nov. 7, 2014, at that year's BlizzCon. That game would later be released on May 24, 2016. It has been over two years since Overwatch 2 was announced, but more information will come out during BlizzCon 2021 according to the official trailer.