Well, this is certainly an unexpected turn. Blizzard just posted a blog post which states that Overwatch 2, their free-to-play team shooter, is coming to Steam early next month. This is the first of Blizzard's titles to arrive on Steam, but it's highly unlikely it will be the last. You'll still need a Battle.net account to access the game, but players will also benefit from some of Steam's features, like achievements and the Steam friends list, which can be used to invite other to play.
It seems Overwatch 2 has been chosen as the first title to come to Steam due to it's free-to-play nature, though the style of game might've also had something to do with it. The Steam launch will coincide with the launch of the Invasion event, which will bring PvE to the game, as well as a new core PvP game mode with two new maps, and a new hero. Great time to jump in!
So, what does this mean for Battle.net? It looks like it'll still be around, seeing as you need to make account regardless, and Blizz wouldn't be the only company to require their own launcher (Hi, Ubisoft, EA and Rockstar). However, it does point to the company wanting to get people used to their games on other storefronts, and we'll have to see if Microsoft will keep Battle.net around after the merger.
If you want to wishlist Overwatch 2 on Steam, the game's page is already up.
Quote From Blizzard As Blizzard evolves as a studio, inside and out, one of the ideas pushing us forward is meeting players around the world where they are and making our games as easy as possible to access and play. We want to give everyone a chance to experience our universes with old friends while making new ones, no matter how they choose to play.
Battle.net is the home of all our PC players, and over the years, we’ve evolved our platform to support updated technologies, capabilities, and our communities’ expectations. But as we’ve evolved, the industry has evolved too–gaming is no longer just for specific communities as it was when Battle.net launched over two decades ago, gaming is for everyone–and though we remain committed to continually investing in and supporting Battle.net, we want to break down the barriers to make it easier for players everywhere to find and enjoy our games.
Which is why we’re trying something new.
We’re excited to announce that we are bringing a selection of our games to Steam, starting with Overwatch 2… which will be available on the platform on August 10!
“It’s our goal at Blizzard to listen to players and try to exceed their expectations in everything we do,” said Mike Ybarra, President of Blizzard Entertainment. “While Battle.net remains a priority for us now and into the future, we’ve heard players want the choice of Steam for a selection of our games, starting with Overwatch 2 on August 10th. We’re happy to work with Valve to make that happen.”
"Gamers and developers are both going to benefit from Overwatch 2 coming to Steam," said Gabe Newell, Valve's president. "Gamers will have another platform where they can play a beloved game that utilizes the capabilities of Steam, and developers will benefit from the effects of having the talented team at Blizzard helping us evolve our supported features and functionality for Overwatch 2."
As a free-to-play, team-based game, we believe Overwatch 2 is the perfect title for Blizzard’s debut on the platform. Overwatch 2: Invasion is launching with more new types of gameplay experiences than at any point in the game’s storied 7-year history, including the first-ever set of PvE Story Missions, a new core PvP game mode with two new maps, and of course, a new hero. It’s a great opportunity for new players to enjoy their first experience of the Overwatch universe.
Overwatch 2’s presence on Steam is in addition to Battle.net, so the incredible community already accessing the game through Battle.net can play as they have with no changes required. Players on Steam will still need to connect Overwatch 2 to a Battle.net account, as we require for all platforms, which enables cross-platform play and more. Players using Steam will have access to features of the platform while playing Overwatch 2, such as Steam achievements, their Steam friends list, and the ability to invite them to play in-game. We’re excited to see the response from the Overwatch community–both veteran players and new ones who come on board through Steam–and we’re looking forward to hearing their feedback.
As far as what’s next for Blizzard on Steam, we’ll be sharing more about potential other games coming to the platform when the time is right.
What do you think about this development? Any other Blizzard games you'd like to see added to Steam? How will the chill of the former interact with the sizzle of the latter? Let us know in the comments below!
Comments
Its funny because that's basically paying steam to advertise their games.
Im really sick of all these companies forcing consumers to download and use their platform just to play games. In my opinion, if you get your game through steam, you should not be forced to download a third-party platform software, login into accounts, etc. just to play the game you want.
Still, at least battlenet and steam are respectful platforms that dont make you do gymnastics just to play them. Uplay on the other hand is an utter mess. One of the reasons why I rarely ever play their games is that I cant stand their platform. Had to go through several hurdles just to login and after the first few times I simply just said fuck it.
Something I didn't catch while writing the article (and that I can't add right now). You don't need the client. You still need to make an account, but you won't need to download Bnet.
Force, rarely, the only...: many crybaby terms.
Damn whipper-snappers just seem to have a hard time understanding how good it is in 2023.
I wish there was a dart I could throw at their ass that would transport the ass back to the Atari 2600 era.
Better yet, to the dial-up BBS days playing on a 14.4k modem with call waiting!
Launching games is actually one of the areas where old consoles did better than modern systems: you find the right cartridge, insert it, power on the console and the game boots. You didn't have to deal with installation, managing disk space, downloading updates, excessive loading times, tweaking settings to get good performance etc.
Go back far enough and you'd be watching telly the size of a playing card. My own experience wasn't as severe, since it was about the size of four playing cards. Unfortunately, I wasnt lucky enough to actually play an atari, but I did once own a pc with a massive memory capacity of 256 kb.
Today my screen is the size of a deck of cards. So what has it got to do with criticizing bad practices? They do it, I call them out on it. Its really that simple.
Nothing to do with having a screen the size of a deck of cards (discarding the Jokers and one-eyed Jacks, of course).
It's the pissy bemoaning of how we now have nice things today.
Wish my dart could send you back to when all you had in your house were books to read and if you were lucky, the local library had a full set of Encyclopedia Britannica [which weren't allowed to be checked out].
More appreciation and less bemoaning of everything I would guess and hope...
Pretty cool most everyone has it all and a lot more in their back pocket now.
Firstly, a point to make about your comments.
It is possible to respect and appreciate the advances of our society today and still feel there's much left to be desired. I dont suffer cramping conditions standing in the local bus for 1 hour thinking how nice it is that I dont have to walk to work. Shit is shit, we should call it as it is, while still respecting the fact that our forefathers once trekked 5 miles to go to school with a bag weighing in 2 kg. No point in condescension. The world has moved on.
Imagine your employers paying you a pittance and then telling you to be grateful because just over 200 years ago slaves were paid a pint of grain and half a salted fish for a weeks hard work.
If you cant stand to people bemoaning on the internet I think its fair to say you should just ignore them, especially since its easy enough to do so. Ignore the emotional outburst and make your point, if there is any. If not, then walk on. Makes life simpler and happier.
Admitably, I never really did understand how some people can get upset looking at others getting upset, especially if they are no way involved at all. Its like they feel second-hand hurt because they happen to be within the vicinity of a shouting match. I'd personally just walk on to be honest.
Well said and I admit to bemoaning someone adding their opinion to a gaming article.
The philosophy of just keep going and not stop when you disagree is sound and is mine as well.
My internal 'Grunpy Old Man' monologues seem to be manifesting in places they don't belong. You have a good day!
Put me in the cryo-chamber. I'm speedrunning to the day that Super Mario 64, Smash Bros, and Fire Emblem etc are sitting on PC platforms with full achievements.
Hah, Nintendo is so far up their own ass you'd be frozen for an eternity!