Overwatch 2 Withstands First Weeks Of Controversy, Breaks Overwatch’s Record

Overwatch had been at the top of multiplayer first-person shooter games for half a decade. Developed by Blizzard Entertainment, the game was released in 2016.

The game saw several ups and down until it shut down on 3rd October to make way for its sequel, Overwatch 2, which launched on the 4th of October. The game was its PvP change from 6v6 to 5v5.

Overwatch 2 saw its launch marred with controversy. The issues varied from players unable to log in to servers to facing DDoS attacks on launch day. Many accused Blizzard of being negligent in resolving the problems faced by the players. Even though they claimed to have worked tirelessly, the players kept facing difficulties in accessing the game servers.

MAJOR TAKEAWAYS

• Overwatch 2 has preserved the first weeks of mismanagement and has now had a daily player count triple to the peak tally of its predecessor, as announced by Blizzard in the press release.
• The game’s launch was marred by several issues.
• The press release further revealed that Kiriko has been the most popular among players in the first two weeks. 
• Much-anticipated game mode, PvE, is also expected to have an announcement soon with an expected release date set in 2023.

But now, it seems, Overwatch 2 has persevered through the first weeks of mismanagement, as it saw its player count grow to over 25 million in just ten days after its launch. Not only that, the game had a daily player count triple the peak player count of Overwatch breaking its record, as announced by Blizzard in the press release.

The game has proven to be a global phenomenon, already achieving a daily player base spread near-even across EMEA, Asia, and the Americas that’s nearly triple the previous daily player peak from the original Overwatch.”

The game’s success is owed to its free-to-play basic game, cross-platform progression, and a whole lot of new content including new heroes, maps, new game mode, and the introduction of new heroes. Kiriko has been the newest addition to the game. She has been the most popular hero pick among Overwatch 2 players. Her special ability, known as Kitsune Rush, was used over 2 million times in less than two weeks.

Blizzard has also announced several compensatory “thank you” rewards for Overwatch 2 players, for enduring almost two weeks of mismanagement. The rewards will be available from 25 October to 28 November, when Overwatch 2’s first season ends.

Talking about Overwatch 2 and what it means for Blizzard, Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment said,

The launch of Overwatch 2 has been such an important moment for Blizzard. We’re thrilled to bring new players from around the world into Overwatch’s vibrant universe while welcoming back the existing Blizzard community.”

Furthermore, he said that there are plenty of “possibilities to explore in the world of Overwatch“, and that they plan to introduce multiple new features to the game, and they “can’t wait for players to experience everything” they are building for the game.

Blizzard has the newest much-anticipated game mode, PvE, in the works for Overwatch 2. The mode will most likely be released in 2023, with an announcement expected soon, as the press release read,

Planned to begin rolling out next year, release plans will be announced at a later date for the game’s much-anticipated PvE mode.”

Overwatch 2 seems to have passed the hard part for now, as evidenced by the game’s success. But it remains to be seen whether the game carries this momentum forward or not.

Overwatch 2 is available for PC via Battle.net, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

Will Overwatch 2 continue its rise? Do discuss in the comments section below.