Overwatch 2’s getting its first story missions and teases a new hero

theverge.com:

By Ash Parrish, a reporter who has covered the business, culture, and communities of video games for seven years. Previously, she worked at Kotaku.

Overwatch 2: Invasion will finally kickstart Overwatch 2’s story. Revealed during the Xbox showcase, Overwatch 2’s story missions are finally here — if “here” actually means August 10th. Last month, game director Aaron Keller revealed that Overwatch 2’s long-hoped-for story mode was being cancelled, citing an ambitious but ultimately unfeasible development process. However, Keller said that the game’s story missions would still be coming, giving players a chance to see what’s going on with Overwatch’s beloved characters.

Story missions aren’t new to Overwatch. The game got its first story mission back in 2017, and it was a prequel of sorts, highlighting the events that would eventually led to the disbanding of the Overwatch organization. The subsequent events, Storm Rising and Retribution were also flashbacks, giving important insight into the history of characters like Cassidy, Tracer, and Jack Morrison (now known as Soldier: 76.)

These new story missions bring the Overwatch story into the present and will make use of the game’s newest characters. When Sojourn was introduced back in 2022, the developers said that Overwatch 2’s story was deeply intwined with her own story.

“She had a deep, lore connection to the game world,” art director Dion Rogers told The Verge. “She moves the storyline forward when she’s introduced.”

In addition to all the juicy lore we’re getting in story missions, the trailer also teased a new hero. For a brief, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, we’re shown what looks to be a feminine hero rising into the sky with a very large gun. According to the