Today, Kotaku reported that Blizzard has canceled an unannounced StarCraft project it had in the works to switch the development team onto two other projects: a new Overwatch game and Diablo 4. According to the report, both games will be announced later this year at BlizzCon as the two “marquee” announcements of the show. We’ve heard quite a bit about Diablo 4 in the past, but nothing about a new Overwatch. Unfortunately, Kotaku doesn’t have a ton of details on the project, but the few it does have, are very interesting.
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According to the report, Overwatch 2 — or whatever it winds up being dubbed — will have a large PVE element, which Blizzard employees have described to Kotaku as similar to Left 4 Dead. Of course, there’s a good chance it will have the team-based, hero shooter PvP gameplay the current Overwatch has as well, but it sounds like Blizzard is expanding the IP, which lines-up with it’s said about the game in the past.
“We also think that there are a lot of different types of games that can exist within the IP’s that we have,” said Blizzard President J. Allen Brack while speaking to Game Informer earlier this month. “If we think about the Overwatch IP for example, we think about the Overwatch IP as being extremely large and extremely all-encompassing. Overwatch, the game people experience today, is just being a very small part of what that IP could be.”
“We think that a lot of these franchises have the ability to have lots of different types of games, lots of different types of experiences.”
Meanwhile, last month, Activision teased that it has “big plans” for the game’s universe, and suggested the IP will be expanded beyond just a mere hero shooter. In other words, it perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise that Blizzard is expanding the IP into new and different genres.
Of course, take Kotaku’s report with a grain of salt, like any unofficial information. Not only could it be inaccurate or misleading, but things change over the course of development, so come reveal of an inevitable new Overwatch game, this information could be outdated. That said, Jason Schreier has an outstanding track record when it comes to scoops, so there’s a good chance this all on the money.
Anyway, as always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think or hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know over there. What would you like to see from a new Overwatch?
