Canceled Overwatch 2 PvE Mode Was Meant As a Step Towards an MMO

The Overwatch 2 developers have admitted that the team-based shooter was supposed to become an MMO after the PvE hero mode was released. That would be somewhat unexpected because the developers have never explicitly confirmed their plans to turn the Overwatch franchise into an MMO game. The cancelation of Overwatch 2’s PvE campaign mode sparked great outrage among fans, and some of them went so far as to call for a boycott of the game.

Overwatch 2 will still receive story missions, which will be focused on fast-paced and cooperative gameplay. These missions will take place on huge maps, where players will go up against new enemies to progress in the story. Blizzard said it will begin to release them in Season 6, which is expected to come later this year. The news for story missions came after the reveal of the Overwatch 2 roadmap, which includes a bunch of content, such as new maps, limited-time events, hero mastery missions, and more.

Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller has revealed that the developers had plans to make the game an MMO in the future after the release of the PvE hero mode. The news came alongside the announcement of story missions, with Keller saying that those PvE content were part of an ambitious plan that would’ve led to a new MMO set in the Overwatch universe. After the cancelation of Project Titan, which was meant to be an MMO title, the developers transitioned away from their concept and started working on Overwatch.As it turns out, the scope of this PvE portion was too large to create a cohesive experience. If Blizzard’s plans for Overwatch 2 had come true, it would be a “true realization” of the original vision of Project Titan. The game has a legion of recognizable characters, whose stories can be the starting point of larger PvE content. As an example, the story between Reinhardt and Crusaders plays a crucial role within the lore of the Overwatch franchise. For those wanting more story and lore elements, there is also an Overwatch comic series that tells short stories of heroes.

Players were disappointed by the cancelation of Overwatch 2’s hero mode, which had the potential to expand the game’s universe far beyond. They have taken to social media platforms to voice their frustration, with some even claiming that they stopped playing Overwatch 2. The PvE campaign now appears to be in the form of story missions, which may not be an issue for players who solely care about the PvP features.

Overwatch 2 is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.