Blizzard vice president Jon Spector has shed more light on the upcoming release of Overwatch 2 and its Battle Pass heroes.
Following on from rumours claiming Overwatch 2 heroes would need to be unlocked in the Battle Pass via a paid style similar to Fortnite (which sees characters put into the paid battle pass, while the free track simply offers a few rewards), Spector had the following to say:
“Addressing some incomplete info posted early about our Overwatch 2 Battle Pass – well be sharing all details ahead of launch, but want to confirm that new Overwatch 2 heroes will be available on the free track of the Battle Pass.”
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So, there you have it. You may not get all the new heroes from the off, but they will ultimately be coming at some point for free.
Addressing some incomplete info posted early about our Overwatch 2 Battle Pass – well be sharing all details ahead of launch, but want to confirm that new Overwatch 2 heroes will be available on the free track of the Battle Pass.
— Jon Spector (@Spex_J) September 8, 2022
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Meanwhile, when one user asked what will happen if players dont reach that specific tier in the battle pass, and would they be locked out from using a specific hero, Spector stated: “We will have free paths to get new heroes in future seasons too.”
We will have free paths to get new heroes in future seasons too.
— Jon Spector (@Spex_J) September 8, 2022
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In addition to this news, we also now have an idea of an upcoming Overwatch 2 hero, after an unfinished cinematic showing off a character by the name of Kiriko made its way online.
This footage, originally shared by Kuriboh cervantes (via PC Gamer), has now been removed, but the below tweet shows how Kiriko looks in the game.
https://twitter.com/OverwatchNaeri/status/1567986875314610177
In anticipation of Overwatch 2s release, Blizzard has been giving existing Overwatch players the opportunity to begin merging their various Overwatch 1 accounts as part of its preparations for the sequels new cross-progression feature.
It has also been doing its best to alleviate any concerns its community has about the games microtransactions, after Blizzard asked those taking part in the Overwatch 2 beta their thoughts on paying $45 for the new, highest rarity, skin in the upcoming sequel.
This followed on from the news that the company is ditching its predecessors lootboxes in favour of a seasonal battle pass and in-game store.
Overwatch 2 is set to launch as a free-to-play early access title for Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on 4th October.