Summary
Rumors suggest that Blizzard is developing a secret project, sparking speculation among fans that it could be related toOverwatch 2. Excitement within the community has grown following a recent update to the LinkedIn profile of the Senior Director of Product Management forOverwatch 2, suggesting that something new for the franchise might be on the horizon. Whether this was meant to be public information at this point or not, the Blizzard employee updated their Experience timeline with an entry titled “Unannounced AAA RPG-FPS Title (PC/Console).” Although the entry has since been changed to “Unannounced AAA Title (PC/Console),” the core details remain the same.
While some are hoping the unannounced title isanOverwatch 2spin-off, there’s a chance it might not be exactly what they expect. Despite the franchise’s massive success since its 2016 launch, the controversy surrounding the sequel has left a noticeable impact. As such, even if this secret project is tied to theOverwatchuniverse, it may not have much in common with the original games.
Blizzard’s Rumored Unannounced Title Might Not Share Much DNA WithOverwatch 2
Overwatch 2’s Lore Potential Remains Largely Untapped
AlthoughOverwatch 2’s PvE content was abandonedin March due to poor sales and the resulting layoffs of Team 4 members involved in those missions, the demand for story-related content inOverwatchremains strong. For example, the animated cinematics that often accompany character introductions or expand on the lore have consistently been well received. Additionally, the anime-style mini-series, comics, books, and PvE missions still resonate with the player base, leading fans to hope for more exploration of this universe.
Before facing development issues and failing to meet the company’s “serious numbers,“Overwatch 2was planned to receive new story missions every 18 months. However, following thevarious Blizzard layoffs earlier this year, former developers suggested that the content in development might never be released. “If they’re gonna make more of that stuff, they just laid off all the people who were working on it,” one developer said. “Maybe there’s some other way they could do it, but most of the people laid off from theOverwatchteam were working on that pillar.” Additionally, former Lead Principal Designer Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie expressed on Twitter that he “loved the story [Team 4] came up with for this and [hopes] it gets told someday.”
Blizzard May Be Trying An Entirely New Approach
Given that the PvE missions fell short of Blizzard’s expectations, the rumored project may explore an entirely new direction. The missions were criticized for being seen as a paid version of the annualOverwatch Archivesevents, having lackluster character development, and lacking replayability. A shift could be welcome, especially if it retains features like the highly anticipatedskill trees fromOverwatch 2that didn’t make it into the Season 6 missions. Since the original LinkedIn post suggests the title will include RPG-FPS elements, the new game could resemble titles such asCyberpunk 2077,Fallout 4, orThe Outer Worlds.As such, even if it is set in theOverwatchuniverse, it could end up feeling nothing likeOverwatch.
Blizzard’s Secret Title Might Be Completely Unrelated toOverwatch
Alternatively, this secret title could be an original IP rather than a new addition to the hero-shooter franchise. The primary reason some speculate a connection toOverwatchis the involvement of Chris McCabe, the Senior Director of Product Management, who has ties toOverwatch 2. However, his LinkedIn history also shows he was involved with the unannounced AAA Survival Game, codenamedProject Odyssey, which Blizzard canceledin January of this year.
Set in a fantasy world, this game was expected to be similar togames likeMinecraftandRust, and had no obvious connections toOverwatch. As a result, the rumored upcoming FPS RPG might end up being wholly independent ofOverwatch 2or may not have much in common with the hero-shooter. At the moment, it remains to be seen whether Blizzard will provide any official details about this game and its ties to any existing franchises prior to its reveal.
