The lore-expanding story missions of Overwatch 2 were highly sought-after when the game was announced, but now they seem to be ending.
A big gameplay addition with the Overwatch 2 release included story missions. The new PvE experience allows players to expand their story knowledge of the Overwatch universe by completing unique in-game missions. However, as time has passed, from the game’s release in 2022 to the disheartening layoffs in the gaming industry recently, it seems the future of these PvE story missions in Overwatch 2 is looking bleak.
Will Story Missions Continue in Overwatch 2?
Although it is not officially confirmed, it looks pretty likely that story missions in Overwatch 2 will no longer be released. A couple of contributions to the missions losing priority in development include the mass layoff of over 1500 employees that Activision Blizzard endured in January 2024, as well as the Hero mode of Overwatch, where players got to rank up characters and utilize skill trees, being canceled back in May of 2023.
Additionally, ex-employees recently spoke to Kotaku. They discussed their distrust in the PvE aspects of Overwatch 2, such as campaign missions being continued. Adding to the difficulty of releasing the missions is their development time. It is believed that three missions for the story would take 18 months to complete. Therefore, with the time and effort to do those missions dwindling due to layoffs, focus was taken off them to streamline PvP.
The last story mission to release in Overwatch 2 was in August 2023. As the game hits its second anniversary in May, the quantity of these missions is not a good sign. While there is no official word yet from Blizzard, it seems more and more likely that the missions will cease to exist.
Additionally, with the abovementioned circumstances, it seems those on the game’s team are being shifted. Many are going from work on PvE to development on the PvP modes of the game. The PvE was a new and welcomed addition to the series when Overwatch 2 was first announced. However, with more cancellations of those aspects, it seems like the game is a shell of its former self.