Overwatch 2's PvE content scrapped as devs are denied bonuses for the first time, report claims

eurogamer.net:

Overwatch 2's beleaguered PvE content has reportedly been scrapped.

That's according to Bloomberg, which reported yesterday that following «poor» sales of its prior PvE missions, the company «does not plan to finish» any PvE content currently in development, and will instead «double down» on PvP gameplay.

The report also intimated that a «decade-long battle» between Blizzard and parent company Activision had divided management over bonuses. Blizzard had always shared bonuses company-wide to avoid «everyone [wanting] to work on the most successful games rather than experiment with new ideas», but former Activision boss, Bobby Kotich, had long argued that only those «behind the most lucrative products should be rewarded».

Furthermore, Overwatch 2 devs were told in August 2023 that due to the sequel's middling performance, they «shouldn't have received anything» but at the time, the company had allegedly agreed to cover «some of the bonuses» to make up for the shortfall.

Earlier this week, however, Overwatch 2 staff were told they'd receive nothing, even though previously, Blizzard staff would get a bonus based on the overall performance of the company, not just the individual games people worked on. But that's now seemingly changed.

«Failing to get any profit-sharing bonus is rare at Blizzard and is the result of a major policy change that was enacted in 2023,» Bloomberg said. «Previously, employees would receive bonuses based on the overall performance of the company. But last summer, the payouts became tied to the performance of each specific franchise. Since their titles were more successful in 2023, teams on games such as Diablo and World of Warcraft received bonuses this month, but the Overwatch developers weren’t so lucky.»

Last month, Activision Blizzard said it was making «major changes» to Overwatch 2 as part of a «revitalisation» of the