Entries for the original Overwatch began being replaced on digital storefronts last week with Overwatch 2: Watchpoint Pack. The $40 purchase on Battle.net, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox platforms is essentially an Early Access buy-in for Overwatch 2 but it also includes “immediate access to Overwatch: Legendary Edition” plus several other bonuses. Retail releases remain available but the install process will eventually point to Overwatch 2’s content as well. The move was a surprise to see last week but the team did state as far back as 2019 that this day would come.
If that all weren’t conclusive enough for the ensuing end of the original Overwatch, members from the team took to Reddit on Wednesday where Game Director Aaron Keller stated bluntly, “When OW2 launches on Oct 4th it will be a replacement for the current Live Service”.
Of course, much of the content from Overwatch will be folded into Overwatch 2 but the original launcher, interface, and experience will become inaccessible starting October 4th. More clarification is promised leading up to October but the team did confirm a few details about existing users’ skins, credits, and lootboxes.
Community Manager Jodie confirmed during the AMA that Overwatch skins will come into Overwatch 2 from all platforms with cross progression. Jon Spector, Vice President for Overwatch, added that Overwatch credits will come into Overwatch 2 as well but that not all new content will be purchasable with original Overwatch currency.
Spector also laid out the details on existing lootboxes, stating that “we are not transitioning loot boxes into Overwatch 2, and ahead of launch, any unopened loot boxes will be automatically opened with your account receiving all the contents directly”. While the original game isn’t directly purchasable today, all of its lootboxes and microtransactions will likely remain accessible until October.
Many questions remain for fans about the transition and answers are promised leading up to October 4th. For the site this change counts as a delisting and we’ll have a page up later on for the original Overwatch. For now I’ve added the October 4th date to the Watch List calendar. Thanks to HandMaskTar for submitting the news.