Neowin News Feed for: Overwatch

Overwatch 2 overhaul sees 10 new heroes coming in, and even dropping the "2" from its name

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 22:16:01 +0000

Blizzard's massive Overwatch 2 showcase had it unveiling a massive overhaul for the free-to-play hero shooter, and there's even a name change. Read more...

Blizzard to unveil its "Next Chapter" with showcases for Diablo, Overwatch, WoW, and more

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:26:01 +0000

Blizzard Entertainment has announced four game showcases focused on its most popular games, and it's teasing big announcements and sneak peeks for fans. Read more...

Overwatch 2's Classic event is live, bringing back the 2016 hero roster, maps, and more

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 22:36:02 +0000

Blizzard has brought back the launch experience of the classic Overwatch to its free-to-play sequel. The limited-time event is now live. Read more...

Overwatch 2 will begin 6v6 testing soon, but for how long will depend on players

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 20:42:01 +0000

Blizzard is finally bringing back 6v6 format from the original game to Overwatch 2 soon. However, the studio will gauge player interest to see if it's worth keeping. Read more...

Overwatch 2 Season 9 is coming on Feb. 12 with a new higher Champion rank and more

John Callaham — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 21:04:01 +0000

Blizzard has revealed the full change notes it plans to add to Overwatch 2 when Season 9 of the team-based multiplayer shooter begins on Feb. 12. It will include a new higher Champion rank and more. Read more...

Blizzard finally brings back the in-person BlizzCon to Anaheim, California on November 3-4

John Callaham — Wed, 17 May 2023 17:52:01 +0000

The fan gathering for all things Blizzard Entertainment will host its first in-person event in four years at the Anaheim Convention Center on November 3-4, with more details to be revealed later. Read more...

Overwatch 2 will be free-to-play, early access planned for October

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Sun, 12 Jun 2022 20:48:01 +0000

Blizzard Entertainment snuck in an Overwatch 2 announcement during the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase today, revealing a free-to-play release and an early access launch date for the competitive side. Read more...

Overwatch 2 beta announced for April, will be PVP focused

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 18:46:01 +0000

A slice of Overwatch 2 will soon be available to fans to enjoy as Blizzard Entertainment kicks off a beta drive for the hero shooter. The game's first public beta will kick off in late April on PC. Read more...

Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan exits Blizzard after 19 years

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 20:16:01 +0000

Jeff Kaplan, best known for being the game director of Overwatch, has left Blizzard Entertainment. The company has appointed another veteran for the role, with Aaron Keller taking up the position. Read more...

Blizzard moves Overwatch League matches from China to South Korea

Namerah Saud Fatmi — Sun, 16 Feb 2020 11:42:01 +0000

Due to health and safety concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, Blizzard has decided to move this year's Overwatch League matches from Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou, China, to Seoul, South Korea. Read more...

YouTube partners with Activision Blizzard to stream e-sports events

João Carrasqueira — Sat, 25 Jan 2020 00:02:01 +0000

Google is doubling down on its bets for live streaming, with a new partnership with Activision Blizzard that will see YouTube as its exclusive streaming platform for e-sports events. Read more...

Overwatch 2 announced at BlizzCon, focused on four-player co-op content

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 20:58:01 +0000

Overwatch is getting a sequel, Blizzard Entertainment officially announced today during BlizzCon. Overwatch 2 puts a focus on co-op content, while PVP will have cross-play with the original game. Read more...

Blizzard set to announce Overwatch 2 at BlizzCon 2019

John - Patrick Thackeray — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 04:24:01 +0000

With Blizzcon 2019 just around the corner, popular franchise Overwatch gets some new details on the upcoming sequel, Overwatch 2 with improved PvE, graphics and some potential new heroes. Read more...

Overwatch reportedly releasing on the Nintendo Switch next month [Update: It's official]

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Wed, 04 Sep 2019 15:22:01 +0000

Ahead of the Nintendo Direct slated for later today, a leak has revealed that Blizzard Entertainment's popular team-based shooter Overwatch could be coming to the Nintendo Switch next month. Read more...

Three years later, Overwatch might be coming to the Nintendo Switch

João Carrasqueira — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 22:50:01 +0000

Many have expected multiplayer shooter Overwatch to make its way to Nintendo's hybrid console for some time, but a new Amazon listing for a Switch case suggests it could finally happen. Read more...

Activision Blizzard game developer workforce set to increase 20% in 2019

Paul Hill — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 02:24:01 +0000

Activision Blizzard has announced that it is going to increase the number of developers working on its games by 20% over the coming year. Unfortunately it said there will be 800 job losses. Read more...

Weekend PC Game Deals: Overwatch gets bundled and free events arrive in droves

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Sat, 08 Sep 2018 09:31:36 +0000

This weekend's PC game deals include the surprising reveal of a bundle with Overwatch, free events for Battlefield V, For Honor, Call of Duty: WWII, and more, as well as a back to school GOG sale. Read more...

Chinese students play video games as part of a three-year eSports course

Richard Tyr Blewitt — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 12:06:01 +0000

Students at the Lanxiang Technical School in China spend half the time of their first year playing and mastering popular eSport video games. This forms part of a paid three-year course in eSports. Read more...

Take on the Banished in Halo Wars 2 with this week's Deals with Gold

Dreyer Smit — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 09:46:01 +0000

This week's Deals with Gold include several big franchises including Halo Wars 2, Overwatch, Fortnite, Mass Effect, and much more which should ensure your week is jam-packed with games to play. Read more...

Belgium officially declares loot boxes a form of gambling

Dreyer Smit — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 09:30:01 +0000

After it concluded its investigation in games such as Star Wars: Battlefront II and Overwatch, the Belgium Gaming Commission concluded that loot boxes constituted a form of gambling and were dangerous Read more...

Belgium investigating Overwatch and Battlefront II over loot crates

Dreyer Smit — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 08:26:01 +0000

After the significant backlash over Star Wars: Battlefront II misusing the 'loot system' in a bid to extract more revenue out of gamers, the Belgium authorities have initiated an investigation. Read more...

Grab Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition for 40% off

Boyd Chan — Sat, 14 Oct 2017 09:18:01 +0000

For a limited time only, gamers can grab the Game of the Year Edition of Overwatch for 40% off the normal price at Newegg, making it just $6 more expensive than the standard version of the title. Read more...

Blizzard is suing an alleged Overwatch clone in China

Muhammad Jarir Kanji — Sat, 14 Oct 2017 06:26:01 +0000

Blizzard and its Chinese operator for Overwatch are taking Heroes of Warfare, a mobile game that looks eerily similar to Blizzard's own team-based shooter, to court in China over copyright concerns. Read more...

Overwatch bug banning players for no reason will be fixed soon

Muhammad Jarir Kanji — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 03:36:02 +0000

A bug in Blizzard's popular first-person team shooter that was banning players from competitive play for the entire season for no apparent reason will soon be fixed, according to the company. Read more...

Overwatch's Doomfist coming to the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on July 27

Timi Cantisano — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 05:42:01 +0000

After teasing the character at the beginning of the month, Overwatch players will finally get their opportunity to start playing as Doomfist on public servers. He will arrive on July 27. Read more...

Overwatch receives a moon map, 'Horizon Lunar Colony', out now on the PTR

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 11:10:01 +0000

A brand new map has arrived for Overwatch, with Blizzard pushing out the Horizon Lunar Colony map for the Public Test Region. The map features the Assault game mode and brilliant views of the Earth. Read more...

New Overwatch content based on the Moon teased by Blizzard

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Tue, 30 May 2017 12:40:01 +0000

A new teaser by Blizzard may be hinting at a brand new hero or a map based on the Horizon Lunar Base arriving for Overwatch. The announcement landed in the form of an in-lore news report. Read more...

Overwatch Anniversary Event now live, features three new arena maps and more

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Wed, 24 May 2017 11:50:01 +0000

A brand new Overwatch seasonal event celebrating its one-year anniversary is now in effect, with Blizzard implementing three new arena maps along with over a hundred unlockable cosmetic items. Read more...

Overwatch soars past 30 million players

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Sat, 29 Apr 2017 14:48:01 +0000

Blizzard Entertainment has announced that more than 30 million players have joined up to play Overwatch. This feat speaks volumes of the game's popularity, considering it is less than a year old. Read more...

Blizzard has plans for an Overwatch map editor, but not in the near future

Timi Cantisano — Sun, 26 Mar 2017 03:00:02 +0000

Since its release, Overwatch has been a phenomenal success. While Blizzard has added new content, a map editor remains on the long-term roadmap for the game according to game director Jeff Kaplan. Read more...

Overwatch to gain server browser function, major updates to Custom Game mode

Boyd Chan — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 03:06:01 +0000

In what could vastly improve the popularity of custom games in Overwatch, Blizzard will be introducing a raft of new configuration options for the game mode alongside a new server browser function. Read more...

Blizzard outlines planned updates for Overwatch in 2017 and recaps a successful year

Steven Parker — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 08:58:01 +0000

Overwatch's director Jeff Kaplan has posted a video to YouTube with a recap of Blizzards advances with Overwatch in 2016, and more excitingly, also outlined planned updates for the game in 2017. Read more...

Overwatch takes top honors at The Game Awards

Boyd Chan — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 14:22:02 +0000

Blizzard managed to win a total of four awards at this year's The Game Awards for its popular team-shooter, Overwatch, which ended up winning 'Game of the Year' against stiff competition. Read more...

Overwatch Free Weekend starts November 18

Timi Cantisano — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 15:26:01 +0000

Blizzard's Overwatch Free Weekend will arrive on November 18 and looks to introduce new players to its most recent title, Overwatch. The free weekend will be available on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Read more...

Blizzard debuts new Overwatch character Sombra

Timi Cantisano — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 21:34:01 +0000

Blizzard Entertainment took the opportunity at its annual Blizzcon convention to introduce the world to a new Overwatch character, Sombra. Sombra will offer stealth elements and hacking. Read more...

Blizzard launches gameplay streaming service via Facebook partnership

Vlad Dudau — Sat, 27 Aug 2016 07:02:01 +0000

Blizzard is getting into the game streaming business, but it's not partnering with Twitch or YouTube. Instead the game-maker has signed a deal with Facebook so its users can stream to the network. Read more...

Huge changes are coming to Competitive Play in Season 2 of Overwatch

Vlad Dudau — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 09:36:02 +0000

Blizzard's super popular title is about to get a big overhaul of its competitive playing mode. Players will be ranked on a much larger scale, while matches will also be scored in a new way. Read more...

21:9 resolutions to be reinstated in Overwatch after Blizzard backs down

Boyd Chan — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 10:10:01 +0000

After a prolonged campaign, Blizzard will implement native support for 21:9 resolutions in Overwatch after the capability failed to make the transition from the beta test to public release. Read more...

Blizzard's Overwatch hits new milestone: 10 million players in less than a month

Vlad Dudau — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 07:44:01 +0000

Blizzard is printing money at this point, as its new team shooter, Overwatch has garnered 10 million players in less than a month since its launch. This is the company's only new IP in 15 years. Read more...

Gamers enraged after Blizzard strips 21:9 resolutions from Overwatch

Boyd Chan — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 11:00:01 +0000

In a surprise move, Blizzard dropped native support for ultra widescreen resolutions from its brand new first-person shooter, Overwatch, sparking criticism on its own Battle.net forums. Read more...