Overwatch 2 drops the 2 and goes back to being Overwatch as Blizzard launches its biggest update ever next week: 'We want to gain players' confidence, we want them to have trust in the game'

A photo of several Blizzard developers sitting in chairs during a presentation to press for the Overawatch Spotlight announcements. From left to right: Blizzard president Johanna Faries, general manager and head of development for live service and mobile games Walter Kong, executive producer Ben Bell, game director Aaron Keller, and art director Dion Rogers.

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

The last thing I expected Blizzard to do was to change the name of Overwatch 2 back to just "Overwatch" four years after it came out. But as announced during the recent Spotlight video, that is exactly what Blizzard's doing. Most of the sequel's life has been about earning that 2, so why change it now?

The reason, as Blizzard explained to PC Gamer and other press attending an event at its offices in Irvine last week, is all about the development team's confidence in Overwatch's future.

Starting next week, Overwatch is going to look a lot different—literally, with a new UI, five new heroes, and the kick off of a whole new storyline. Its 21st season—coming February 10—will instead be known as season 1 of The Reign of Talon, a year-long narrative that will be told through in-game events, cinematics, short stories, and comics. It's a season that game director Aaron Keller calls "the biggest launch we've ever had in Overwatch's history."

To communicate how much of a shakeup this new era of Overwatch will be, the 2 had to go, franchise general manager and head of live service and mobile games Walter Kong said. "Something that we've talked about internally at the team as a stretch goal that we wanted to hit was something that we described as a 'return to form,'" Kong explained, "and it really is confidence that we could achieve that that made it such that we felt good about changing from Overwatch 2 to Overwatch."

A screenshot of Overwatch's overhauled UI in its 2026 season 1. A hero with a massive red and black sword is standing in the middle and surrounded by a dark blue UI with the Overwatch logo at the top.

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

"Now, it's actually not up to me or anyone here to decide whether we've achieved that or not, but that was really our internal goal, to feel like we could position this game and present it as the best version of Overwatch that has ever been, and that's our goal," he said.

Both Keller and Blizzard president Johanna Faries described this new initiative as a commitment to Overwatch as a "forever game," not something that will be replaced by a sequel down the line (but might include other "experiences" like a mobile game).

Concept art of upcoming Overwatch heroes. From left to right: A silhouette of a slender robotic hero, a flying cat with a jetpack, a young lady with fire swirling around her, a silhouette of a massive bipedal mech, a young man with a giant green hat, a silhouette of a slender character with horns, a woman with arms attached to her back, a silhouette of a robot in a trench coat and a hat, a silhouette of a girl with a long braid and a flying bug-like creature above her hand. — (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

"What we hope this conveys to people is our path forward, which are these really big annual moments that almost feel like expansions," Keller said. "Dropping the 2 is our way of conveying to players that Overwatch isn't something that you're supposed to move on from. We want to gain players' confidence. We want them to have trust in the game, in the team behind it, in the company that's supporting it, so that they can look forward to continue playing this game that's always improving for years to come."

If this was the biggest announcement out of the Spotlight presentation, I'd be way more skeptical of what this will actually mean for Overwatch. But not only is season 1 packed with creative new heroes (Jetpack Cat!), skins, and balance changes, the rest of the year looks promising too. New hero releases every season and an evolving storyline that will expand the scope of the world and its characters are the kind of things I dreamed about in 2016 when the game was bursting with potential. And now it's actually happening.

A graphic of upcoming seasons coming to Overwatch. Season 1 through 4 are listed with silhouettes of upcoming heroes at the top and new maps and other features below. — (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Nobody at Blizzard would ever say it, but I have to wonder if Marvel Rivals' explosive success sparked any part of this. The people yearn for a hero shooter willing to loosen up a little and break some rules for the fun of it. When I look at what's in store for Overwatch, I see a shift in focus away from the narrow esports-ification of the hero shooter to a concerted effort to breathe life back to the parts of the game that people fell in love with in 2016 and still do to this day. The vibe from all the Overwatch developers on campus last week was pure excitement for how many doors this new approach opens. If they can pull it off, Overwatch might actually be finally and truly back.

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Tyler has covered videogames and PC hardware for 15 years. He regularly spends time playing and reporting on games like Diablo 4, Elden Ring, Overwatch 2, and Final Fantasy 14. While his specialty is in action RPGs and MMOs, he's driven to cover all sorts of games whether they're broken, beautiful, or bizarre.

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