Blizzard has revealed something that fans have been asking for, not quite in the exact way that they wanted it.
As revealed in the official blog, Overwatch 2 is hosting an Overwatch: Classic event, from November 12 to December 2, 2024. This will come as a mode in Overwatch 2, and is not the literal return of the original Overwatch.
As a result, Blizzard can offer the original 21 heroes, and the original maps, but only the Overwatch 2 versions of those maps. Other elements like match timing and elevator platforms will also work the way they do in Overwatch 2.
So, what can Blizzard do to evoke the original Overwatch? Of course, the game returns to 6v6. However, taking it a step further, Blizzard also chose to recreate the patch 1.0 experience.
What that means is that for the first few days of Overwatch: Classic, players can play with no hero limits and no role limits. The playable characters can only use their original default skins, and they will be assigned back to their original classes.
Blizzard is offering this throwback under budget, so they didn’t add in Competitive mode, the original UI, and thankfully, the lootboxes. As for whether this could become a permanent feature, this is what Blizzard had to say:
“While we’re not planning for this to be a single event, we will be measuring player response to inform our future plans. “
On one level, Blizzard seems to be following the lead set by Epic Games with Fortnite OG and Respawn with Apex Legends’ Season 23, dubbed “From The Rift.” Both essentially offer a time limited throwback to the start of both games, as it seems the fans have been clamoring to return to what those games were like when they started.
This all speaks to the unique trait that live service games have. Theoretically, because these games keep getting improved, the players should be perpetually happy. They are constantly engaged and stimulated to keep playing, and for some, to keep spending.
The clamor for the original and classic modes derives from how the iteration has actually created discontent among those players. As it turns out, the more complexity is layered to a game, and even the more content is added in, the more discouraging it is to come back in unless you were committed for that long a time. And as it turns out, some gamers got sick of what live service is.
But on top of all of that, Blizzard did this knowing the emotional baggage they created in their loyal fans when they shut down the original Overwatch. We won’t relitigate Blizzard on this one point by point here. What is important is that this comes with the promise of a real return of the original Overwatch.
We recently reported rumors that Epic Games will make Fortnite OG a permanent game mode for those who want it. If Blizzard, and their bosses at Microsoft, are reading the room correctly, they should be working on a new version of the original Overwatch. A version of Overwatch which will allow players to play the game fully offline, even alone, by enabling bots.
That was the solution that online multiplayer games like Quake III Arena used to offer. It’s something that Blizzard might have to spend a bit on, but it won’t be as dangerously costly as the promises that they made to fans for Overwatch 2’s co-operative campaign content.
All of this may signal that live service games may have a natural end after all. We certainly hope, if this is truly the case, that the game companies realize the need to keep those gamers happy by making versions of these games that can be preserved for posterity’s sake, by their own customers.
