Refresh [Thu 18th May, 2023 03:05 BST]:
Overwatch 2 executive producer Jared Neuss now responded to the public backlash in a series of tweets, reiterated that the removal of PvE Hero Mode was not an easy decision and was equally difficult for the development team. A later blog will provide more context on what’s next for Overwatch’s “new stories.”
“One thing I want to make clear is that if we decide to cut Hero Mode + Talents, we’ll have a lot of great PvE content this year. Big story missions, new cinematics, co-op events, and single-player Hero Mastery missions are on the way. I also want to admit that this Today has been a difficult day for many of us in the Overwatch community – players and developers alike.We understand that today’s news regarding the scope of PvE is disappointing.
“We love the world of Overwatch and have a lot of new stories to tell. Moving in this direction gives us confidence that we can tell these stories in a different way than we originally reported. Our next Director’s Take blog will be published on Friday. More context.”
Neuss also addressed speculation about changes due to the scope of PvE Blizzard’s “back to office” policy and the company is losing talent—noting how it had problems before:
“I’ve seen speculation that the changes to PvE coverage in Overwatch 2 are related to Blizzard’s RTO policy. Note that this is not true. Managing PvE and PvP development at the same time has been a problem for the team for years. less interesting title, but this is the reality.
“We’ll go into a bit more historical detail in the next Director’s Cut. I hope that additional context can shed some light on why we made this decision.”
Blizzard Entertainment President Mike Ybarra also chimed in with the following words of support for the Overwatch team:
“I will always support the decisions our teams make and the many elements they balance while doing so. Changing direction isn’t easy — and we’ll learn from such early expectations. I’m proud of what the Overwatch team continues to do, and I know their ambitions to bring great experiences to players remain high. “
Original [Wed 17th May, 2023 02:35 BST]:
Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 development team announced today that the game’s long-awaited PvE Hero Mode has been cancelled.
While there are still PvE elements to come, the main mode the company promised when announcing the sequel to the popular team-based hero shooter has officially been scrapped. This special mode was the reason Overwatch 2 was released in the first place.
Overwatch 2 executive producer Jared Neuss explained what led to the decision in a Twitch livestream – explaining how the PvE experience “didn’t really make the progress” the team had hoped for, and the effort needed to deliver a “Blizzard-quality experience”. huge, no expiration date in sight.
“With everything we’ve learned about what it takes to run this game at the level you deserve, it’s clear that we won’t be able to deliver the original vision for PvE that was shown in 2019. That means we won’t be doing that dedicated hero mode with talent trees.” , introduce long-term talent development. Those are no longer in our plans. And we know that will frustrate many of you, so we wanted to bring it up before we talk about the roadmap.”
Neuss noted how it was difficult for the team to come to terms with the decision, as many members poured their “hearts and souls” into the now-defunct regime. tells GamespotOverwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller recalled that the team was “still committed to PvE,” but did so in a different way than originally discussed.
Here’s what the roadmap for Overwatch 2 looks like now, which includes new story-based missions to play:
How do you feel about PvE Hero mode being removed? Were you looking forward to it? Comment below.