Overwatch 2 dev: 'We can't deliver on that original vision for PvE that was shown in 2019'

After years of delay, Blizzard isn't axing development of the PvE element of Overwatch 2, but it will never come out in the form it was originally shown.

Image via Blizzard Entertainment
1

Amid Overwatch 2’s successes and missteps, PvE gameplay was always one of the original things promised that has yet to arrive in the game at all. The developers have been working on some form of it for years, but constant delays have kept it out of player hands. During a recent video discussion, the Overwatch devs finally addressed the situation with executive producer Jared Neuss admitting that the team won’t be capable of delivering on what was shown when the PvE mode was originally shown.

The Overwatch 2 team admitted to axing PvE in its 2019 form during a Dev Chat posted on the Overwatch YouTube channel on May 16, 2023. It was there that Neuss laid out the simple truth about Overwatch 2’s once-anticipated PvE mode:

It seems we’re never going to get the single-player or team-based PvE modes that were once teased alongside the promise of Overwatch 2. There have been a multitude of questionable decisions regarding the game, including replacing the original Overwatch entirely with Overwatch 2. The end game ultimately was good, but just in the way that the original Overwatch was good anyways, and it’s even hit a few snags along the way since launch, such as a lackluster rewards system that was supposed to be revamped in Season 3.

Blizzard didn’t completely slash PvE in Overwatch 2, but it seems clear that whatever it was meant to be is never happening. Whether it takes on a new form or gets scrapped altogether, stay tuned as we await new details here at Shacknews.

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

Hello, Meet Lola