Overwatch 2 is dead, long live Overwatch — Blizzard shares plans for 2026 for this hero shooter
During the Overwatch Spotlight presentation, plans for the upcoming year for Overwatch were revealed: a long story campaign, 10 new characters, a literal name change, and much more arriving in 2026. The presentation is part of a series of franchise updates celebrating Blizzard's 35th anniversary.
The change that will spark widespread discussion is the renaming from Overwatch 2 back to simply Overwatch, considering the original game no longer exists.
Next week, on February 10th, the first in a series of seasons titled "Talon's Reign" will launch. It will feature a long-running story arc focused on the villainous syndicate of Reaper, Sombra, the recently added Vengeance, and others. The story will unfold through in-game events, comics, trailers, short stories, and even new voice lines presumably created for characters when they team up or face off against each other, as often happens in Overwatch.
Over the next year, 10 new playable heroes will be added, with another five arriving in the following season. These heroes appear to be heavily tied to the story:
- the enterprising corporate tank Dominia,
- the Overwatch team deserter Emre,
- the support hero Mizuki,
- another DPS Anran, and
- the mysterious jetpack-wielding cat as a support hero.
Additionally, "sub-roles" will be introduced, dividing existing heroes into smaller subclasses that grant characters small bonuses throughout a match. For example, snipers like Ashe, Cassidy, and Widowmaker will have their movement abilities' cooldowns reset on critical hits, while supports like Mercy and Moira will gain self-healing from their weapon's healing effects.
This year will also see a major user interface and user experience overhaul, the addition of in-game and post-game "rewards," a crossover with Hello Kitty and friends, and much more.