To be clear, Overwatch 2 could still have a release date of 2023, that’s not what we’re saying. But in a recent rumor, Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 were both revealed to not have a release date until sometime in 2023. This naturally upset players a great deal, especially when you consider the current state of Overwatch. It must be heartbreaking for fans to get the game announced so early, and then have to continually wait for a concrete release date. However, the confirmed 2023 release date for Overwatch 2 has been denied by the devs, despite the game being delayed indefinitely during the most recent earnings call.

A lengthy thread, titled “As a former apologist, I have lost hope” ultimately had a dev response in in. An apologist is someone who often makes excuses for, or defends something no matter what. Blizzard has an army of fans and so many of them were excited about the forthcoming Overwatch 2. This player said they lost hope, and have given up after the news of the Overwatch 2 2023 release date. Like all things on a forum, this kicked off a heated debate. 

Many players are rightly upset about this news. Overwatch 2 did not need to be revealed back in 2019 in the first place. Quite a few people suggest that it was only announced to pull eyes away from the Hearthstone drama with Blitzchung. He was banned at the time from Hearthstone for being pro Hong Kong during a Grandmasters event. So, to have people not focus on something so negative, Overwatch 2 was announced. Fast forward to 2021, and it’s indefinitely delayed.

AndyB, one of the Community Managers for the Blizzard forums spoke up about this delay. This CM and Jodie (a new Community Manager) has been gathering feedback about how the Overwatch players feel right now, and will send it forward.  

The CM had this to say in the thread:

“In the meantime, I want you all to know that we understand what’s happening on the forums. While we still believe that this is the right thing to do for the team, the game, and ultimately the players, we get the emotions being shared today. One rumor to clear up: I’m seeing a lot of folks assuming a launch date in 2023 is wrote. Without being pedantic, I want to point out that there was no release date or beta date communicated in yesterday’s earnings call. While I’m not prepared to discuss dates with you here today, I want to quash the rumor of a 2023 release date as being somehow “official”. To the OP: I understand where you’re coming from and sincerely hope to have the opportunity to restore your feelings of excitement and joy about Overwatch and the team behind it.”

However, the way the Community Manager worded the statement does it make it sound like it’s not going to drop in 2021 or 2022 at all. That may not have been the goal, but it does sound like we’re expecting 2023 for the Overwatch 2 release date. However, it could be much worse for Overwatch 2 fans. It may be later than 2023, if at all. For now, all we can do is wait and see what happens, but we aren’t going to hold our breath for a 2022 release date at all. We’ll keep you up to date on the Overwatch 2 happenings as the story evolves.