Blizzard Leisure is preparing to showcase a sneak peek at “big reveals” for Overwatch with a Highlight occasion – and it’s all occurring in lower than 24 hours.
Final week, the firm announced plans to ship updates for video games like World of Warcraft, Diablo, and extra straight to followers with a sequence of showcases all through late January and early February, and all eyes are on the workforce behind its controversial hero shooter to see what the future holds. There are lots of rumors going round relating to what shall be proven throughout the February 4, 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET present, as gamers look ahead to seeing what comes after Overwatch 2 Season 20: Vendetta.
As of final week, nevertheless, there may be one large query on everybody’s thoughts: Why did Talon take control of Overwatch? Blizzard issued a hostile takeover hotfix final week, altering all iconography from the acquainted Overwatch emblem to that of the in-universe antagonist faction, Talon.
It’s been an surprising, unexplained villain arc that’s continued by to immediately, with even official social media accounts affected by the modifications. With confusion in the air, it will be unusual if Blizzard didn’t discuss Talon throughout tomorrow’s showcase, so we’re hoping to discover out what function it’d play in Season 21.
“Overwatch Highlight is a shared second with our group, for our group,” a current blog post from the Overwatch workforce says. “An opportunity to see the place the sport is headed, hear straight from the workforce, and step into the subsequent chapter facet by facet.”
In the meantime, a number of clues have the group anticipating a extra basic change for Overwatch 2. Particularly, followers throughout the web consider this so-called “subsequent chapter” will see the quantity 2 dropped from the Overwatch title altogether.
Hypothesis started when Blizzard introduced the occasion final week, as audiences seen the Overwatch emblem featured on official art work was lacking its 2. It’s led many to assume the first-person live-service sport may both quickly drop the quantity, or that tomorrow’s showcase ought to cowl info exterior of Overwatch 2 itself. Theories for the former began to maintain extra weight when gamers seemed to find evidence suggesting its story-centered Invasion Bundle had dropped the two from its identify, as effectively.
The hero shooter, which first launched in 2016 and can have fun its 10-year anniversary this yr, went by a serious revamp in October 2022 that noticed it reworked into Overwatch 2. It gained three new heroes – Sojourn, Kiriko, and Junker Queen – a visible overhaul, gameplay modifications throughout its dozens of heroes, and quite a bit of hate, as gamers criticized its unstable launch and the controversial changes to its monetization technique.
Many of the extra problematic modifications have been reverted or altered in the years since launch, with 6v6 queue choices, extra heroes, map changes, and even loot packing containers all added inside the previous yr alone. It’s resulted in a small resurgence for the sport, as gamers flip up as Blizzard makes an attempt to steer towards a brighter tomorrow.
One other speaking level gamers are hoping to see introduced up consists of what may very well be in retailer for subsequent Season, corresponding to probably new maps, one other collaboration or crossover, Perk reworks, and a theme. Followers are additionally hoping to see what its subsequent hero might appear like after Vendetta was added in Season 20, although the Overwatch workforce sometimes launches only one hero each different season, so we might have a barely longer wait in that regard.
The final time the studio put hype like this behind a showcase was final yr’s February occasion, suggesting that no matter the builders have deliberate for tomorrow will doubtless be big. Like the 2025 Highlight, Blizzard has parternered with a long list of some of the biggest streamers for this yr’s present.
For extra, you may see how the inclusion of the newest main mode addition, Stadium, had Overwatch gamers having enjoyable for the first time in a very long time. You too can see what sport director Aaron Keller had to say about the workforce’s need to return to story and PvE content material final July.
Michael Cripe is a contract author with IGN. He is finest identified for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be certain to give him a observe on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).