Overwatch 2 launches in October, will be free to play

polygon.com:

Overwatch 2 will launch on Oct. 4 as a free-to-play game, Activision Blizzard announced Sunday alongside Microsoft’s Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase. The October launch for the hero-based shooter is being called an “early access” release for the player-versus-player component of Overwatch2, and will bring at least two new heroes — Sojourn and Junker Queen — to the Overwatch roster.

The sequel to Overwatch will also launch with at least two new maps (one set in Toronto and one in New York City), a new game mode called Push, and a variety of hero reworks that have been in beta testing since early 2022. Overwatch 2 will also usher in the new five-versus-five team composition that’s been in testing and played in the Overwatch League.

Blizzard did not provide a release date for Overwatch 2’s mission-based PvE component, which is still in development.

In Blizzard’s announcement trailer, the developer also showed off new character designs and cosmetics for portions of the cast, including previously unrevealed tweaks to D.Va and Symmetra. Blizzard said it plans to reveal more details about Overwatch 2 in a separate stream on June 16.

Overwatch 2 is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X when it launches in October. The game will support cross-platform play and cross-platform progression.