'Overwatch 2' is going free-to-play with early access starting on October 4th

engadget.com:

Activision Blizzard isn't owned by Microsoft just yet, but the publisher still had a presence at Sunday's Xbox and Bethesda showcase. There was a trailer for Overwatch 2, along with some major news. The game will be free to play and early access will begin on October 4th (the Overwatch blog calls this the game's launch). There will be at least one more beta before then, with more details to be announced at a reveal event on Thursday.

The clip showed a glimpse of a new hero that's been part of the game's lore for years, the Junker Queen. It seems likely that the character will be playable as part of the next beta. It appears they have a shotgun and a sort-of hammer, and that one of their abilities involves charging forward. With the sequel already having one new damage character in Sojourn, Junker Queen may be a tank character.

The trailer also included a quick look at a new Zenyatta ability, which allows the omnic to knock back an enemy with a melee attack. Naturally, it invokes the movie 300, since you can kick an opponent into the Ilios well. In addition, there was a glimpse of a mysterious fox that was leading a team into a fight. Hmm.

Given that Blizzard will move all current Overwatch players to Overwatch 2, the original game will be going free-to-play as well. Those who own the game before June 23rd will receive a founder's pack, with a special icon, two skins (General Doomfist and Jester Sombra) and more goodies. You'll need to log in before the Overwatch 2 early access launch to receive it.

It's unclear whether the player-vs-environment side of the sequel will be free too, or how Blizzard plans to monetize everything. Overwatch 2 will at long last move to a seasonal content format, which suggests there will be a