The veil between launchers thins
Blizzard is bridging the gap and bringing some of its PC games over to Steam. The publisher announced that select games will appear on Valve’s launcher, starting with Overwatch 2 hitting Steam on August 10.
The free-to-play team shooter will launch with a few Steam tie-ins. Namely, there will be some Steam Achievements and the ability to invite Steam friends into matches. Players on Steam can also match and play against Battle.net users too, in case you were worried about that. You will, however, still need a Battle.net account to play Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2‘s Steam launch also coincides with the release of Invasion, the seasonal update that will add Blizzard’s pared-down and reduced PvE plans.
While Overwatch 2 is the start, more games from Blizzard are headed to Valve’s storefront. “As far as what’s next for Blizzard on Steam, we’ll be sharing more about potential other games coming to the platform when the time is right,” reads a blog post from the company. Obvious hopes would lie in big games like Diablo IV, though I’d love to see some classics come over too.
Watch over me
The news comes at a tumultuous time for Overwatch 2 in general. Alongside the aforementioned scaled-back PvE plans, the hero shooter is declining. Activision Blizzard’s Q2 2023 earnings report says engagement and player investment in Overwatch 2 has declined “sequentially” in the quarter. Its hopes seem to be that the Invasion update will bolster the game.
But on the esports side, the Overwatch League is also headed for a crossroads; teams are set to vote on an updated operating agreement, putting the fate of the league in the team owners’ hands. League commissioner told The Verge that Overwatch will remain committed to a “competitive ecosystem in 2024 and beyond.” But Activision Blizzard is also laying off workers in its esports department, per The Verge. We’ll see if a seasonal update and Steam launcher appearance can right the ship.
