Overwatch 2 PVE Cancelled By Blizzard Says Bloomberg

In a major update for Overwatch 2, Blizzard has reportedly canceled all plans to finish the hero shooter sequel’s remaining player vs environment (PvE) content, according to a report from Bloomberg. This bombshell news marks a turning point for Overwatch 2 as Blizzard previously touted an ambitious PvE campaign as one of the game’s selling points.

The Overwatch 2 PvE Dream Is Dead

When Overwatch 2 was announced at BlizzCon 2019, Blizzard listed the PvE story experience as a highlight alongside the revamped 5v5 competitive mode. They promised fans a lengthy co-op campaign full of custom story missions showcasing Overwatch’s deep lore and world. There were even heroic missions that would allow players to level up their favorite characters and gather some serious gear.

Over the years Blizzard further reinforced these PvE promises with animated shorts and campaign previews of Overwatch 2. But by the time Overwatch 2 launched in October 2022 following a long development cycle, it was only PvE–with seasonal story missions promised as paid DLC.

The First Overwatch 2 PvE Missions Landed With a Thud

Those promised PvE story missions eventually arrived as part of the Season 6 premium battle pass in March 2023. Dubbed “Overwatch 2 Invasion,” this $20 DLC contained cinematics and three co-op missions set in Toronto, Rio de Janeiro, and Gothenburg that expanded the lore around the omnic enemies.

However, according to Bloomberg’s report, these initial Overwatch 2 PvE story missions could have sold better. This underwhelming reception, coupled with development challenges, is cited as a key factor behind Blizzard’s decision to pull the plug on any future PvE plans.

Overwatch 2 PvE Team Gutted in January Layoffs

The writing was already on the wall for Overwatch 2’s PvE future back in January 2023 when Blizzard laid off a significant portion of the team behind the mode as part of the wider 190+ staff cuts at the company.  Aaron Keller, the Overwatch 2 director, acknowledged at the time that work on new PvE content beyond the seasonal story missions would be impacted.

The fallout from these layoffs is now fully apparent as anonymous sources tell Bloomberg that Blizzard has definitively canceled all remaining Overwatch 2 PvE content that was in development. This includes shelving any plans for the long-promised heroic missions with character progression.

Blizzard Doubling Down on Competitive Multiplayer

Instead of funneling resources into troubled PvE content, Blizzard has opted to refocus Overwatch 2’s development solely on competitive multiplayer battles going forward. The company’s official statement notes the “focus on the foundational team-based experience” and mentions continuing to update the game based on community feedback.

This bi-directional approach of using analytics alongside player sentiments makes sense from a business standpoint. Overwatch 2’s free-to-play model incentivizes Blizzard to prioritize popular modes and content that drive engagement and monetization from the existing player base through cosmetic purchases and battle pass sales.

While personal player progression systems were undoubtedly planned for the PvE campaign, these mechanics likely proved challenging to design in a way that didn’t overshadow or undermine the competitive balance of Overwatch’s traditional 5v5 matches.

Is Overwatch 2 a Commercial Failure So Far?

Bloomberg’s report cites sources claiming that the poor performance of Overwatch 2 was directly responsible for the complete lack of bonus payouts to members of the Overwatch development team in both the mid-year and end-of-year profit-sharing pools in 2023.

While it’s difficult to accurately judge Overwatch 2’s commercial performance without official figures from Blizzard, these damning bonus revelations certainly don’t inspire confidence. Blizzard has also yet to reveal total active player counts for Overwatch 2 despite statements touting 100 million lifetime players across both Overwatch games.

It’s clear that somewhere along the way, whether through mismanaged development priorities, battle pass pricing/content missteps, or failure to market the free-to-play transition properly, Overwatch 2 has fallen well short of initial expectations at Blizzard.

What’s Next for Overwatch 2?

Whether you perceive Overwatch 2 as a commercial failure or not, this PvE cancellation instantly neuters a huge part of the game’s long-term content roadmap and selling points as marketed over the past three years.  While competitive Overwatch matches will continue to be updated, the lack of an engaging PvE career mode drastically limits the game’s appeal to more casual shooter fans.

The onus is now squarely on Blizzard to deliver innovative new reasons beyond just updated seasonal battle passes and character skins for lapsed players to consistently return to Overwatch 2’s multiplayer battlefield. If not, the future of this once bright new era for Overwatch looks increasingly grim despite its incredibly promising start.