Why Activision Blizzard Removing the Original Overwatch Is a Mistake

gamerant.com:

By the time Overwatch 2 releases on October 4, the first Overwatch will have been out for six years and five months. In that time, players have spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours pushing payloads, capturing objectives, and doing everything else Activision Blizzard's hero-shooter has asked of them. Yet it has been a wild ride for Overwatch, as what once was one of the most-played shooters in history has slowly devolved into a title that is starved for content.

Overwatch's future isn't looking good now that Activision Blizzard has announced Overwatch 2 will be replacing the first game's live-service model. Players who already own Overwatch will have their cosmetics moved to the sequel, and any unopened loot boxes will have their contents automatically unlocked. Coins — a currency in Overwatch used to unlock cosmetics — are also supposed to carry over to players' Overwatch 2 profiles, but Activision Blizzard has provided sparse details about this transfer. Cosmetics aside, Activision Blizzard could end up alienating a good portion of its audience by retiring Overwatch as Overwatch 2 enters early access.

Overwatch 2 Beta Access Rolling Out Now Across All Platforms

Despite the hectic battles that often ensue in Overwatch, having six players on each team is how Activision Blizzard originally envisioned the experience. Two tank heroes support each other and help push the team forward, two damage heroes fight to break the enemy's defenses and eliminate opponents, and two support heroes provide the rest of the team with healing and buffs. Having 12 players on a single map can make for a crowded ecosystem, but it is a system that ultimately worked in the game's favor at the height of its popularity.

Since 6v6 was how Activision