Players express anger over canceled Overwatch 2 PvE mode

Overwatch 2 PvE is no more, and players aren’t happy for all the right reasons.

Overwatch 2 was initially announced during Blizzcon in 2019, and everyone wondered why a sequel was needed. That was until Blizzard lifted the curtain on dedicated PvE mode, featuring talent trees for each hero. The unique narrative-driven multiplayer mode had everyone on their toes, but after three long years, the developer has thrown in the towel.

Blizzard has pulled the plug on Overwatch 2 PvE mode to pour all the attention into live game mode.

“You want to build something that really resonates and that people love [….] As the team learned more about what it took to make [the PvE mode], as it learned more about the time, the iteration, and the technology required, it just became clear that the schedule wasn’t going to work,” the developer said.

Blizzard terminates Overwatch 2 PvE mode

The dedicated hero mode was the primary difference-maker between the old and new game. The developer had announced a progression system that would allow players to unlock new talents, creating a “talent tree” in a story-driven mode. This would have allowed players to take a breather from cut-throat ranked games.

This is a huge bummer for the fans looking forward to a brand-new Overwatch. According to the community, many plans don’t make the cut for the official version of the game, but Hero mode was formally announced as a huge part of Overwatch, and that’s the real problem.

Overwatch 2 update from the Dev Chat:

Original PvE vision from 2019 is no more. Talent trees scrapped, and there will be no standalone version.

It's just little bits of PvE such as missions/stories released with each PvP season as part of their live service.

Man… 😢

— KarQ (@KarQGames) May 16, 2023

Without PvE, there’s nothing starkly new about Overwatch 2.

Overwatch 2 PvE will be a hollow shell of what was promised

YEARS of a content drought for FRACTIONS of what was promised

NO hero talent trees
Basically a regular Overwatch campaign being released in small pieces?

It was all for basically nothing. What a heartbreaker. pic.twitter.com/ALeEMekMKZ

— Samito (@SamitoFPS) May 16, 2023

However, fans are hopeful that the pre-made content will be repurposed into short story missions that Blizzard has announced for Overwatch 2. According to Overwatch 2 executive producer Jared Neuss, big story missions, new cinematics, co-op events, and single-player Hero Mastery missions are all on the way.

So, instead of an open-ended hero mode, players will still be able to experience canon and non-canon story missions featuring their favorite characters. It’s not exactly a grand PvE mode, but it’s still something.

Most players are upset that Overwatch 2 is the same old game now that PvE is out of the picture. But it’s worth waiting for the”big story missions” to see if Blizzard can make up for the broken promise in a reasonable way.