During the Overwatch Spotlight stream today, Blizzard announced a massive amount of new updates and changes coming to the hero shooter in what is likely its biggest update since the game launched in 2016. Starting February 10, Overwatch is starting fresh with a brand new Season 1, dubbed Reign of Talon. This is a new structure the team is experimenting with and will focus on deepening the game’s story and lore. We also got the long-awaited return of story cinematics, this time featuring new villain Vendetta. Check out the full announcement stream below.
One of the biggest surprises is that 10 new heroes will be released over the course of a season instead of three, with five launching with Season 1:
- Domina – Tank
- Emre – DPS
- Mizuki – Support
- Anran – DPS
- Jetpack Cat – Support
We’re also getting plenty of new and returning skins to collect. You can expect new skins for all heroes to celebrate Valentine’s Day and other holidays, as well as a Hello Kitty collaboration with some adorable new outfits. Lootboxes are also getting a refresh, with all skins from the previous six seasons included. A new lootbox type, called eSports Lootboxes, will be available, offering the chance to open up Mythic Hero skins.
With Season 1, a new game mode titled Conquest will be available for players to jump into. Similar to Splatoon’s Splatfest, you’ll choose either Talon or Overwatch and fight for whichever side you pick. Whichever team wins the season will have lasting effects on the story moving forward. This is a great way to keep the community engaged and the story interesting. We can also expect more animated cinematics, comics, and more ways to expand the story and lore.
From a gameplay perspective, the three main roles (DPS, Tank, and Support) are each also receiving new sub-roles. Each hero will be assigned a sub-role according to their existing main role. Each sub-role comes with new passive abilities, greatly increasing the variety and dynamics of a match. The game’s user interface is also getting a much-requested makeover. It’ll be a “full transformation” according to the team, making the in-game menus significantly quicker and easier to navigate. For Nintendo Switch 2 owners, a dedicated update is coming at the start of Season 2.
Finally, Blizzard has decided to drop the “2” from the game’s title, and has returned to simply calling it Overwatch.
