All articles tagged with #overwatch
Eurogamer's Robert Purchese argues that Overwatch is in a genuine revival in 2026, with a polished UI, a new Stadium mode that lets players buy upgrades mid-match, five new heroes, and a welcoming returning-player community, making it feel like a true relaunch and possibly the strongest entry in the series despite growing competition.
Overwatch, now dropping the 2 and rebooting with a story-driven approach, pulled around 69,881 concurrent players on Steam over the weekend—near its launch-day high of 75,608—ahead of The Reign of Talon Season 1, which adds five new heroes on February 10; Steam remains a smaller portion of PC players compared with Battle.net, and reviews on Steam are mixed.
Fareeha Andersen, Anran’s voice actor, backs a large fan movement asking Blizzard to revert Anran’s in-game appearance to her original design, criticizing the current look as 'ozempic-chic.' Anran remains in testing ahead of her Feb 10 launch, with Blizzard likely to consider changes in a future patch based on fan feedback.
Overwatch has reached its highest Steam PC player base since launch, surpassing Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty and signaling a surge in the hero shooter’s PC popularity.
Overwatch’s new character Anran is sparking controversy online, with fans arguing her facial design closely resembles existing heroes Kiriko and Juno, fueling a broader “same-face syndrome” critique of the game’s character art. The debate covers whether Anran is a new character or simply a cosmetic skin, highlights ongoing discussions about uniform aesthetics in the franchise, and notes potential cultural and stylistic pressures influencing female character designs.
Overwatch welcomes a new hero, Jetpack Cat, voiced by Jennifer Hale (the Mass Effect series’ Commander Shepard). The feline hero arrives February 10 as part of The Reign of Talon Season 1, and the game has been renamed to Overwatch (dropping the '2'). Jetpack Cat is a sky‑healing/ally‑towing support with an ultimate called Catnapper that disrupts enemies and can tether targets off a ledge.
Blizzard is relaunching Overwatch as a perpetual live service with a rename (dropping the 2), a massive year‑long expansion-style run in 2026 featuring 10 new heroes, a Story 2.0 overhaul, and ongoing seasons plus planned hero reworks—all free—to restore momentum and establish Overwatch as a long‑term Blizzard pillar.
Overwatch introduces Jetpack Cat, a jetpack-wielding support who can tether allies to her flight path and even drag enemies, enabling chaotic new plays as players test aerial strategies in early access ahead of her Feb 10 release and a broader hero revamp.
Blizzard renames Overwatch 2 to Overwatch, declaring it a 'forever game' with year-long narrative arcs, starting Season 1: The Reign of Talon on Feb 10, introducing ten new characters (five at launch), plus subroles, passives, and a comprehensive UI overhaul; the update ties in comics, shorts, and in-game content to a deeper world, while balancing and content pacing remain focus areas.
Blizzard reveals Overwatch 2 will be renamed Overwatch, confirms a Nintendo Switch 2 version launching with Season 2, and outlines a year-long plan featuring six seasons, starting with Season 1 on Feb 10, 2026; the update also promises ten new heroes this year (five arriving with Season 1), plus map updates and new media like animated trailers and comics.
Blizzard says skin availability depends on how well a hero’s design fits cosmetic concepts, not just fan demand; with a more efficient pipeline in 2026 they plan to bring more cosmetics to underserved heroes like Lúcio, including the Sanrio Hello Kitty crossover, while Kiriko, Mercy, and Juno will also continue to receive skins.
Blizzard is rebooting Overwatch with a Season 1 that doubles as a year-long storytelling arc called Reign of Talon, returning the game to its single-name branding and weaving narrative into gameplay with map changes, new voice lines, and cinematic ties. Ten new heroes are planned this year—five available at launch next week and five more in the following seasons—including Jetpack Cat, plus two maps later this year and a redesigned menu. While the pace promises excitement and a fresh meta, balancing five new heroes at once poses challenges, and fans can expect a sustained push to tell an ongoing story across cinematics, comics, and in-game events as the game nears its 10th anniversary.
Jennifer Hale, famed as Mass Effect’s Commander Shepard, voices Overwatch’s new hero Jetpack Cat, who launches February 10 alongside four other heroes. Jetpack Cat can tow both allies and enemies through the air, with an Ultimate to lift adversaries, and she features numerous meow-themed voice lines. The reveal caps a period of rapid hero releases planned for the year, and Blizzard also teased future animal-themed ideas, including a concept called Oranga-tank, as part of the ongoing Overwatch refresh.
Blizzard says its hero roster has trended toward conventionally attractive, tall characters because they’re easier to build cosmetics for and future-proof, but it plans to shift toward more oddball heroes in 2026 as it kicks off a revamp with a new Season One and five new heroes on day one.
Blizzard is dropping the '2' branding for Overwatch and launching a major February update that adds five new heroes—led by Jetpack Cat—and kicks off a story-driven era centered on Talon, plus cosmetic drops, UI updates, a Hello Kitty crossover, and a Switch 2 version tied to Season 2 in April.