Update 8/11: Blizzard has denied that there will be a year-long Overwatch League hiatus.
Original story follows.
A recent report claimed thatOverwatch 2’s release window is likely to have been pushed out of 2022, which had previously been the game’s target. The report has not been corroborated, but given Blizzard’s recent challenges many found the report believable. Now a separate report is being shared not regardingOverwatch 2’s development, but about the Overwatch League. It claims the Overwatch League could be going on hiatus in wait forOverwatch 2, a hiatus that could last as long as a year.
In a report from GGRecon, multiple members of the official Overwatch League have been told that the esports league’s fifth season is going to be delayed.Season 4 of the Overwatch Leagueis ongoing, with its end-of-season playoffs scheduled to begin mid-September. Season 5 would normally begin in the first half of 2022, following several months of expected off-season. Instead, Overwatch League officials are apparently planning to delay Season 5 to late summer 2022 or beyond.
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The reason for the reported delay is simple. The Overwatch League is said to want to play the next season inOverwatch 2and notOverwatch. As such, Season 5’s start would have to wait until eitherOverwatch 2is ready to launchor ready for a preview build to be used for the Overwatch League. That means the Overwatch League believes it could start a new season as early as late summer 2022 or as late as 2023.
The report continues, saying it has also heard from sources within individual Overwatch League teams noting that some are exploring letting go of team members as a result. Some teams have already apparently told their players that contracts may not be renewed following Season 4, due to a lack of planned competition in 2022. In other words, should Season 5 be delayed it could mean the end of manyOverwatch League teams' current rosters.
One surprising consequence of the report is confusion over the recent rumors regardingOverwatch 2’s delay. If Blizzard, and so the Overwatch League, knew thatOverwatch 2was all but certain to be delayed into 2023, then delaying Season 5 would seemingly be a rushed decision. It could mean no Overwatch League between October 2021 and wheneverOverwatch 2launched in early 2023. That’s a massive time off for an esports league with tens of millions of dollars in investment.
It should be noted that these reports regardingOverwatch 2’s development and Blizzard’s plans for the Overwatch League are not yet confirmed and should be considered rumors without further corroboration. While they certainly seem realistic possibilities, especially givenBlizzard’s current development issuesand the new gender discrimination lawsuit, until Blizzard makes an official announcement the truth simply isn’t clear. Nevertheless, consideringOverwatchand the Overwatch League’s popularity just years ago, related news lately has been absolutely dire.
Overwatch 2is currently in development for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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