Blizzard is moving to sunsetOverwatchin preparation for the release of its sequel. A company representative confirmed that the 36th and final season ofOverwatchwill start later today, although there’s still a lot of confusion about what exactly this period of ranked play will entail due to scheduling challenges.
Originally released in mid-2016,Overwatchwas initially intended to co-exist with its sequel, with Blizzard saying as much in late 2019. Earlier this year, however, the company announced a change in plans, stating thatOverwatch 2will outright replaceOverwatch. Following two open betas, the free-to-play sequel is scheduled to release on October 4th. All cosmetics and currency from the original game will automatically carry over, with the business model switch meaning thatOverwatch 2battle passes are replacing loot boxes.
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According to a community manager post over on Blizzard Forums,Overwatchseason 36 is schedule to start in a couple of hours, at 11 AM PDT, with more details being said to follow once it officially begins. Based on the company’s previously announced plans toshut downOverwatchonce the sequel is out, it seems like this is going to be the shortest season yet by a significant margin. Since there’s no time for one last 10-week run of ranked play, some fans are speculating that season 36 will revolve around another experimental patch that implements someOverwatch 2gameplay changes using only assets from the original game. One such minor update was already released back in June, introducing active and passive ability changes to characters like Zenyatta and Reinhardt, among other things.
Another major difference compared to the previous seasons ofOverwatchis that loot box purchases will be a thing of the past, having already been disabled in the game. That said, they can still be earned by leveling up one’s account until September 15th, when all unopened loot boxes will be opened in preparation for theOverwatch 2migration. Instead of rolling the dice on items, the sequel will allow players to straight-up purchase most cosmetics via a new in-game shop.
Although there’s still an air of mystery surrounding this final season ofOverwatch, Blizzard already revealed a lot aboutOverwatch 2season structure. It also confirmed that the upcoming game will feature half a dozen new maps and three additional characters at launch, with the character roster being set to expand every other season.
Overwatchis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
