Overwatchis one of the biggest releases of the past five years, impactful in its creation of the esportsOverwatch League, its loot boxes, and the renewed popularity of arena shooters. It’s somewhat surprising that Blizzard is moving so quickly toward the release ofOverwatch 2, but only becauseOverwatchis still popular. Yet the quick move toward a sequel makes all the more sense if a new rumor thatOverwatch Mobileis also in the works winds up being true.
The rumor comes from Dexerto editor Richard Lewis, who doesn’t provide any sources but says they have “good authority” to believe it. Lewis said prior to the pandemic, Blizzard was tentatively planning to launchOverwatch 2at the same time asOverwatch Mobile. The goal, according to Lewis, was to announceOverwatch Mobilein the lead-up toOverwatch 2’s launch, presumably so both games could build off each others' hype.
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Lewis says this was tentativelyBlizzard’s plan ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to massive shifts in game development across the industry. Lewis' insinuation is that Blizzard may have changed its plans following the implementation of work-from-home policies. The transition, as well as the lost development efficiency, could have led Blizzard to instead shift its resources toward a different project. Alternatively, the mobile game project may have simply been delayed.
As for how realistic this rumor is, it doesn’t come across as absurd. Mobile versions of popular online multiplayer shooters are widespread and successful. Whether it’sFortnite,Apex Legends, or evenPlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, which has a second mobile gamecoming out in the near future, mobile versions of shooters can often become more popular than their original counterparts. Thus it wouldn’t be surprising if Blizzard wanted to follow suit, nor if it wantedOverwatch Mobileto launch alongsideOverwatch 2.
Some Blizzard fans may also recall that Blizzard explicitly said it wantedmobile versions of all its major game franchisesin 2018. The ongoing development ofDiablo Immortalis evidence that Blizzard is moving forward with that plan to a degree.
It may be some time before this rumor gets confirmed or debunked.Overwatch 2remains without a release date, as Blizzard isn’t even willing to say 2022 with any certainty. It’s possible thatOverwatch Mobile,if it exists, could be announced at the next BlizzCon, or perhaps after. Like withOverwatch 2, fans will just have to be patient for more information.
