Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 won't see 2021 release dates, says Activision Blizzard

Published , by Chris Jarrard

If you happened to be one of the folks watching the official Diablo 4 reveal at Blizzcon 2019 and assumed that the release would be a long way off, you guessed correctly. In today’s earning call to investors, Activision Blizzard warned investors not to expect a 2021 release date for Diablo 4 or Overwatch 2.

While the company was touting its recent earnings from Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, it also let slip release date news that is sure to disappoint fans who had hopes of seeing Activision Blizzard’s other tentpole franchises this year. The Diablo franchise had recently had some positive news recently when it was announced that the mobile-exclusive Diablo Immortal was entering a technical alpha in December.

While the Diablo series is no stranger to delays and extended periods between releases, today’s news is a bit surprising for Overwatch 2. Based on what had been shown at Blizzcon 2019 and the advertised scope of the project, it would have been reasonable to assume that the game could launch by the end of 2021. Development on the first Overwatch has already been slowed for more than a year now and the COVID-19 pandemic certainly took its toll on the competitive Overwatch scene.

The full Activision Blizzard earning report was released early this afternoon and includes some other fun nuggets such as player engagement with Candy Crush.