End of an era: Overwatch 2 is coming to Steam, and more Blizzard games will follow
Overwatch 2 will release on Steam on August 10, and Blizzard isn't going to stop there, promising that «a selection» of its other games will come to Steam in the future.
What chaos! Can immutable PC gaming laws really turn out to be mutable just like that? Are there no divisions, no borders, no distinctions remaining at all?
Blizzard and Valve never had a Sega and Nintendo-style rivalry, but Overwatch 2's Steam page is still weird in the way Sonic's first Nintendo console appearance was. Battle.net was introduced in 1996, well before Steam existed, and Blizzard was probably the last remaining company that could disregard Steam without everyone moaning about it. Its legacy put it in a category of its own.
You'll still need a Battle.net account to play Overwatch 2 on Steam, and Steam and Battle.net players will be able to play together. The Steam version of Overwatch 2 isn't just a glorified shortcut, though: It will include Steam Achievements and allow you to invite friends from your Steam friends list.
Blizzard offers a generic explanation for the decision: It's decided to change its ways because «the industry has evolved.» When Battle.net launched in the '90s, gaming communities were more isolated, according to the company, but now «gaming is for everyone» and it's time to «break down the barriers» that keep players from discovering Blizzard's games.
«While Battle.net remains a priority for us now and into the future, we've heard players want the choice of Steam for a selection of our games,» said Blizzard president Mike Ybarra. «We're happy to work with Valve to make that happen.»
Overwatch 2's August 10 Steam release coincides with the launch of the $15 Overwatch 2: Invasion bundle, which gets players access to new
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