Overwatch 2 Director Apologizes for Canceling PvE Hero Mode, Makes Big Promises for Story Missions

Director Aaron Keller has been candid about the decision to cancel Overwatch 2’s planned PvE hero mode in what he described as an “emotional week,” amid high expectations for the mode. The team said it “had a hard time finding footing”.

“In game development, things rarely go as planned.In the early days, we struggled to find a foothold in the Hero Missions experience.The scope has grown,” Keller wrote in the article. I’m here. new blog post. “We tried to do too much at once and lost focus. The team built some really great stuff, including hero talents, new enemy units, and early versions of missions. But we couldn’t bring together all the pieces we needed to deliver a polished and consistent experience. ”

According to Keller, the PvE hero mode was an “exciting but huge vision” that continued to drain resources from the live game. Keller said the development team eventually realized they had to pull out.

“This has been difficult for us, but as the director of this project, I have to do my best to make decisions that put the game and community first, even if the decisions are unfortunate. “From a vision that didn’t work, and I want to apologize to the players and the team for that. I’m sorry,” Keller said. wrote.

Shocking decision to cancel hero mode

The decision to cancel Hero Mode in Overwatch 2 shocked the community when it was announced earlier this week, leaving some wondering why Blizzard decided to make a sequel in the first place. Since its initial announcement, Overwatch 2 has gone through many iterations, eventually settling on a polished version of the first game featuring expanded co-op and narrative missions.

Looking back on Overwatch 2’s journey so far, Keller said Hero Mode is an attempt to fulfill Blizzard’s original vision for Project Titan: the “MMO FPS” that became Overwatch in 2016. . Blizzard’s plans were to introduce his PvE mode, featuring new hero abilities, co-op attacks, and a level progression system, and release it as seasonal content in 2023.

“It was in the team’s DNA early on, and some of us thought that final game was a true fulfillment of Project Titan’s original vision,” said Keller. wrote.

Instead, Overwatch 2 will focus on simpler story missions, featuring “fast-paced co-op gameplay, story, cinematics, and cutscenes.” Keller claims the mode will “play out on a huge map with new enemies and a new cinematic” and is slated for release in Season 6.

“The work done here is amazing, far beyond what we’ve built for PvE in games before, and we can’t wait for players to get their hands on them. For more information, please see this article. I plan to share it on “in the coming weeks,” Keller wrote.

#Overwatch 2: Future prospects✨

Join us as we share details about everything we have planned for 2023, including new events, PvE, new heroes, new maps, and more.

👀 https://t.co/FEyTC2p7eL pic.twitter.com/lGd1uABbfN

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) May 16, 2023

Overwatch 2 tries to move forward

In addition to the planned story missions, Blizzard shared an extensive roadmap that runs through Season 7 and beyond, including multiple new heroes, events, and more.

For now, Keller wrote, the Overwatch 2 development team and its community are trying to move forward. “Overwatch was born from the ashes of Project Titan. It was a transformative moment for the team and the project…and something beautiful came out of it. This is another moment of transformation. And the future of Overwatch is It comes from there.”

Check out our Overwatch 2 review for more. The review was hailed as “breathing new life into what was once his sharpest multiplayer shooter”.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s senior news editor and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Any tips? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.