The Return of Overwatch

Back in 2016 when Overwatch first came out it was all the rage as millions of people worldwide signed up to play this new upcoming first-person shooter by Blizzard Entertainment. However, its popularity was not a given as it was a new type of game for Blizzard. Previously they had released games like World of Warcraft and Team Fortress 2 which was the only other shooter they’ve made, which needless to say had fans skeptical of whether or not Overwatch would take off and be the next big thing. 

Ultimately Blizzard’s prayers were answered and Overwatch exploded immediately on release. With countless content creators playing Overwatch and recommending it to their fans Overwatch saw numbers reach around 6 or 7 million within the first week. 

Overwatch Reaper Figma Action Figure
from: Things From Another World

Rise and Fall

At the end of 2018, this number started to plateau at around 40 million players, but by the time 2019 hit Overwatch saw a huge decrease in players. Many of the major content creators who many fans enjoyed watching had switched to other more popular games such as Fortnite. This, in turn, led to fans to also switching games which left Overwatch with a significantly reduced population of players.

2020 hit hard with the coronavirus but that also meant people were spending more time at home, which also meant the video game industry saw a huge spike in players. 

Currently, around 2.6 billion people play video games worldwide which is a huge spike from 2019 which only had 2.3 billion players. This difference in numbers may not seem like a lot but if you consider that 300 million people is almost the entire population of America it might put things into perspective. 

There is no record of the number of players in 2020 playing Overwatch as Blizzard has not released a player count but the common consensus is that over 50 million players are still active on the game. After a game has been out for over 4 years it’s not uncommon for gamers to lose interest and get bored of the same content over and over but Blizzard does a really good job of keeping players engaged with new hero skins and new events during special seasons. These events range anywhere from custom Overwatch events to winter and summer events which keep players coming back season after season to see what new content is in store. 

A New Legend

While Overwatch has players returning more than ever now it can be expected that another huge spike of players joining the community will happen when Overwatch 2 is released. At the 2019 Blizzcon, the trailer was released for Overwatch 2, and needless to say, it got fans incredibly hyped for the release. Many people came to watch the trailer just for the nostalgia factor and probably didn’t think much of it, but it’s certain that almost every fan who played Overwatch in it’s prime fell in love with the game all over again just from that one video.

Overwatch 2 has huge potential to be able to draw fans back in and keep them entertained as a whole new way of playing is coming to the community. This version of playing is known as PvE (Player vs Environment). Overwatch is more or less a PvP (Player vs Player) game with the off-time where you have to fight the AI but with Overwatch 2 a campaign game mode will be available to all players who own the game.

Figpin Overwatch Genji Pin
from: Things From Another World

Concerns have arisen however about what will happen to Overwatch 1 when Overwatch 2 is released. Will Blizzard stop releasing updates to their original game and force players to switch? The great answer to this is NO Overwatch 1 will keep being updated and will still stay fresh. You may be wondering how and what Blizzard did was amazing. They made it so Overwatch 2 and Overwatch 1 are compatible. PvP in overwatch will be a mix of the 2 games and the great thing is Overwatch 1 players get to use the new Overwatch 2 characters and maps. 

Multiplayer Capabilities

After all, this is said you may ask what’s the point of spending money on Overwatch 2 when Overwatch 1 can do all these things?. The simple answer to this is even though PvP is cross-game PvE isn’t. All the story and campaign aspects that Overwatch 2 will bring will be exclusive to that game.

This means that ultimately if you aren’t interested in PvE and already own Overwatch 1 there is no need to go out of your way to buy Overwatch 2, but if you are interested in getting a deeper look into the characters back story and they’re future adventures it may be worth it to spend the money for the new game. For many people, that enjoy going through a story mode with their friends and sharing the experience, Blizzard has helped achieve this by making their story missions co-op so players won’t have to play alone.

The Art of Overwatch Limited Edition HC
from: Things From Another World

Overwatch 2 is gonna bring back old players, but it will also bring new players who have never even played Overwatch 1. This can help bring a new perspective to the community with new faces showing up and making a name for themselves. Overwatch 2 brings new heroes and new aspects that all players want in a game. 

With all the new changes to Overwatch, undeniably players will start to come back. Overwatch is the type of game where once you’ve played it for over a month you feel attached to the characters and its hard to let go. With all the new changes to the game such as events and the new characters, players are sure to come back and rejoin the community. Other than Overwatch 1, Overwatch 2 will bring a new perspective to the world of Overwatch drawing more and more people in. Now is the perfect time to join Overwatch for the first time or rejoin after leaving, as everything that players know about the game now is sure to change in the future.