After months of rumors, leaks, and speculation, Blizzard finally announced Overwatch 2 at BlizzCon 2019. At the event, it was confirmed that Overwatch 2 will have a PvE story mode, which has been hotly demanded by fans since the release of the first game. While we don't know exactly how long Overwatch 2 will take to beat, game director Jeff Kaplan has suggested that it will be a decently long experience.
Speaking to The Washington Post, Kaplan said that Overwatch 2 will feature "a complete story experience like you would expect from any triple-A blockbuster game" and that it will be of "significant" length. It should also be noted that the Overwatch 2 campaign will likely be expanded on post-launch in a manner not unlike how Blizzard has consistently supported the Overwatch PvP experience.
Even though Overwatch 2 is offering a campaign, new game modes, and new maps, there are still those who feel as though it would have been better released as an expansion to the original game. The Overwatch 2 campaign being of considerable length may go a long way in appeasing those disgruntled fans. "I play a lot of games. I can't think of a single DLC or expansion of this magnitude," Kaplan added in his interview with The Washington Post.
Overwatch 2 having a PvE campaign makes sense, as the first Overwatch has relegated its lore to comic books, animated shorts, and other media outside of the game itself. There have been those who have criticized this approach, especially since there are many fans who are invested in the overarching Overwatch story and would like to see it play out properly in video game form. The Overwatch 2 PvE campaign should address those complaints, and in the meantime, those who prefer the PvP version of Overwatch will have full access to that as well.
The Overwatch 2 PvP will be compatible with the first game, which should prevent the community from being split up. However, Overwatch 2 will still have some exclusive content besides just the PvE campaign. There will also be special co-op Hero Missions designed with replayability in mind that will let players level up their heroes and purchase new abilities.
Whether or not the new content in Overwatch 2 is enough to justify a purchase by those who already own the first game will be up the individual consumer. However, it sounds like the Overwatch 2 campaign is offering a significant amount of content, though we'll have to wait to see more of it in action to be sure.
Overwatch 2 is in development for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Source: The Washington Post