Overwatch Is Officially Dead, Overwatch 2 Launches Tomorrow

thegamer.com:

It’s official, Overwatch is dead! At noon Eastern time today, Blizzard shut down the first-person shooter’s servers, taking the game offline. While the servers will only be down for about 24 hours, when they restart, the original Overwatch will be completely replaced by Overarch 2.

Blizzard’s 2016 “hero shooter” amassed a huge fanbase after launch, even nabbing several Game of the Year awards. Since then, it has spawned comic book adaptations, a bunch of fan fiction (mostly NSFW), and some amazing cosplay. To keep the IP relevant, Blizzard kept a steady stream of content flowing, but over the years that has slowly waned. Now, Overwatch is flying to the big console in the sky and Overwatch 2 is going to try and match that same success.

Related: Overwatch 2 and Stadia Are What Happens When Game Companies Don’t Care About You

However, those are some big shoes for the sequel to try and fill and the folks on social media are not sure it can. In a post memorializing this moment in video game history, Twitter user Nibellion shared a screenshot of Overwatch’s severed servers. He remarked that the game is now a “dead game”. The comments for this post are filled with people thanking the game for the years of fun and wondering if Overwatch 2 will live up to the hype.

Unfortunately, Overwatch 2 is already being criticized for several changes being made. For starters, the only game option available at launch will be Open Queue. Other modes, like Role Queue, will need to be unlocked by playing a set number of Open Queue matches. Plus, it has been revealed that those who haven’t played the original will need to grind in order to unlock heroes from the first game.

Next: MultiVersus Is “Looking Into” Rewarding Players After Completing