Blizzard outlines plans for Overwatch 2 PvE story, but there’s a big catch

Overwatch 2 Director Aaron Keller has teased more details about the much-coveted PvE mode, but Blizzard Entertainment has yet to iron out the specifics.

Initially, the crew at Blizzard planned on deploying Overwatch 2’s story campaign alongside the standard multiplayer suite.

By the summer of 2022, however, the developers had decided to push the PvE mode’s rollout to 2023. The studio confirmed as much in an Overwatch 2 content roadmap, yet left fans wondering about a specific release date.

While the 2023 launch window seems to hold firm in this regard, even the latest PvE-related update lacks concrete information.

Overwatch 2 Director shares fresh details about the PvE mode

Speaking to NME, Overwatch 2’s Director, Aaron Keller, shed some light on Blizzard’s thought process behind the content rollout. Though it pained the team to split up content, Keller argues it was ultimately the “right call.”

He told the publication,

“We couldn’t release all of the content that we were building for Overwatch 2 until the campaign was finished […] We found ourselves saying ‘we’re going to keep withholding content from our players so we can release everything together with our original strategy – the campaign – or we’re going to have to change the way that we think about releasing the game.”

Because PvE development progressed at a slower rate than intended, Blizzard did indeed have to rethink its release model. In fact, the crew is “still finalizing” how exactly the new additions will release.

Activision Blizzard

It hardly comes as a surprise, then, that details about Overwatch 2’s PvE mode remain so nebulous. And while it remains on track for a late 2023 launch, Keller says players should expect a gradual release of campaign content.

There’s plenty to look forward to, though. According to the developer, the campaign will feature a “big, overarching narrative,” one that delves deep into the characters and “big events” around the in-game universe.

Since the story is “not something you can really do in the middle of a multiplayer game,” it sounds as though PvE will prove well worth the wait.