Overwatch 2 PvP will be revealed next week

In his first Overwatch developer update video since taking over from Jeff Kaplan, new director Aaron Keller said that Blizzard will showcase Overwatch 2's PvP during a livestream that will take place on May 20.

The stream will feature Keller, along with lead designer Geoff Goodman, art director Dion Rogers, and other members of the development team, as they show off new maps and discuss the "philosophy" driving some of the changes that are being made for Overwatch 2.

"Just to set expectations, everything that we'll be showing is under development and still a work in progress," Keller said. "And we will be talking more about Overwatch 2's PvP later in the year, so there's still more to come."

Keller also revealed that developers will be taking part in an AMA on Reddit to discuss the past five years of Overwatch. But it hopefully won't just be a history lesson: Keller added that Blizzard is "dedicating to sharing more information on the development of Overwatch 2 with all of you."

As Overwatch developer updates go it's very short and sweet (I don't think Kaplan was ever able to clock one in under five minutes), and honestly I'd really rather get a look at what Blizzard is cooking up on the PvE side of the game, which is where the big changes will come from. Still, it'll be interesting to finally see what's coming on the competitive side, too, especially since Overwatch 2 PvP will be compatible with the original game.

One thing that I wouldn't expect to see during the stream is a release date, since it's still presumably a long way off: Blizzard said earlier this year that Overwatch 2 is not expected to be out until 2022 at the soonest.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.