Blizzard’s New Overwatch Game Is a Complete Misfire

Blizzard first released Overwatch on May 24th, 2016, and it became an instant sensation. Not only was it a new IP by the legendary studio, but it also completely revitalized hero shooters and kicked off what would become a booming genre. Its world, characters, and story drew players in and kept them hooked for over a decade. Overwatch 2 may have stumbled a bit, but Blizzard is getting the series back on track with the game’s latest season. Yet, somehow, after this recovery, Blizzard is doing its best to sabotage Overwatch, because the newly revealed game in the franchise is baffling, and I genuinely do not get who it is for.

Overwatch Rush is a new mobile game set within the same universe. Not only does it feature the same beloved characters, but it also features the exact gameplay premise of the PC and console game. Overwatch Rush further reduces the player size to 4v4 and offers a top-down perspective rather than the class-first-person. Instead of diving deeper into the world of Overwatch and offering a truly new experience, Blizzard is merely rehashing the same game players already have access to.

Overwatch Pushes Onto Mobile

Overwatch Rush is being created by Blizzard, but handled by a different team than Team 4, who is responsible for the main game. No release date was given with its reveal, but players were given their first look at some of the characters available and what gameplay looks like. Iconic characters like Reinhardt, Soldier 76, Mercy, Lucio, Pharah, Tracer, and Reaper have been confirmed, and each character appears to mostly play the same as they did in the original game. From there, Blizzard seems to lean into mobile mechanics and features.

Matches are short, with a game of Control taking roughly 3 minutes, making it perfect for quick plays on the go. The interface is typical for a mobile game, with movement controls on the left and buttons on the right that control attacks and abilities. All in all, from the brief gameplay look, Overwatch Rush appears to be a strong mobile version of the game. Time will tell how it fares against other mobile games, particularly Pokemon Unite or League of Legends: Wild Rift, two games it bears a striking resemblance to.

Blizzard has been heavily investing in mobile, and Overwatch is now making the same leap. Hearthstone, Diablo Immortal, and Warcraft Rumble have seen some of the studio’s iconic franchises playable on the go, and there has been mixed success. Overwatch Rush seems to be following Diablo’s precedent in offering a similar experience, but on the go rather than Warcraft Rumble’s different approach. While it is early, I think Blizzard is wasting a huge opportunity by not taking a different approach with Overwatch’s push into the mobile market.

Blizzard Could Have Explored Overwatch’s Lore Through a New Game

One of the most appealing aspects of Overwatch is its lore. The world and characters are so interesting, and Blizzard has explored these through incredible cinematics. But these rarely come through the game, though the studio has been giving players in-game lore drops through short cinematics and comics. Players are hungry for an actual connection to these iconic characters through the game, and Overwatch Rush shows how tone deaf Blizzard is. We do not need another way to play the game, but a way to explore the characters and their interconnected stories.

I was immediately disappointed when I saw gameplay of Overwatch Rush. I’ve just recently begun playing the game again with The Reign of Talon season, and I’ve been loving it. New characters like Vendetta and Domina have me more interested in the world than ever. There is nothing I want more than a game that shows the characters’ lives beyond shooting each other in a multiplayer game, but Blizzard remains determined not to give players like me the one thing we want.

Rather than simply giving players the same game with a new angle, Blizzard could have dived deeper into the world’s lore through a new genre. An RPG could have showcased select characters and expanded the lore slowly through a more personal lens. A card game highlights different aspects of the world and offers bite-sized lore drops. Even a gacha game could have focused on minor details about each character. Literally any other type of game could bring a fresh experience to Overwatch and give fans what they wanted with new information and more in-depth interactions with the world.

Overwatch Rush Is Not the Direction the Series Needs

Overwatch Rush feels like another “do you guys not have phones” moment. Why would anyone want to play a lesser version of Overwatch when there are so many ways to play? Those looking to play on the go have the Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. Blizzard has already integrated cross-progression, so playing on one of these portable versions not only lets you play on the go, but you continue earning progress no matter where you play. This alone makes Overwatch Rush redundant, and if Blizzard truly wanted the game on phones, they could have looked for a way to make Overwatch work on mobile.

Overwatch 2 already put fans on edge, and this decision just seems misguided. Blizzard had earned back goodwill by resetting the game and introducing five new heroes. I hadn’t been slightly interested in the game for years, but it brought my friends and me back. Overwatch Rush is tone deaf, considering the goodwill the series had just gotten back. With how talented Blizzard’s team is, there are multiple directions it could have taken rather than Overwatch Rush.

The series needs something more, preferably something that fully utilizes the world and its characters. Following the success of Overwatch: The Reign of Talon, Blizzard should be capitalizing on this momentum. Instead, it is taking a step back and filling a space that doesn’t need to be filled. A spin-off game would be a better direction to take the series as it would offer something new and not more of the same. As it stands, Overwatch Rush is a step back for Blizzard and not at all what it needs right now.

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