Hero Mode, the PvE campaign revealed at BlizzCon 2019 as a major feature for Overwatch 2, has been canceled. In an interview with GameSpot this week, game director Aaron Keller and executive producer Jared Neuss explained that as their vision for Hero Mode came into focus, it became clear that it was too ambitious, too time consuming, and taking too many resources away from the team’s ability to support the main, PvP game modes. Blizzard made the decision to drop the previously announced mechanics for Hero Mode, like character progression and talent trees, and instead develop smaller, episodic PvE experiences that it can release over time as part of Overwatch 2’s seasonal model.
This is terrible news for everyone that was looking forward to a full-fledged Overwatch co-op campaign, and even worse for the people that continued playing Overwatch through the two year content drought, hoping their patience would eventually pay off. There’s no positive way to spin this: Blizzard has failed to deliver a game it announced four years ago, and Overwatch players have every right to be disappointed - though they shouldn’t be surprised.
The writing was on the wall for Hero Mode when it was announced late last year that Overwatch 2 would be launching without the PvE campaign. At the time, many were confused as to why Blizzard would launch the sequel without its marquee game mode, but that question was answered pretty quickly once players got their hands on Overwatch 2. With the news of Hero Mode’s cancellation, I see lots of non-Overwatch players asking the same question again. Without PvE, what’s the point of making Overwatch 2?
From an outsider's perspective, for someone that doesn’t play Overwatch or pay attention to what’s going on with it, it’s not an unreasonable question. Hero Mode was announced at the same time Overwatch 2 was announced, and the framing of that reveal was definitely designed to help the idea of an Overwatch sequel go down smoother. But anyone that actually believed Hero Mode was the justification for the sequel is either a little naive, or isn’t paying attention. Overwatch 2 was never about PvE, it was just a glorified transition to free-to-play.
We can talk about the additions and gameplay changes in Overwatch 2, like the new character models, maps, and pivot from 6v6 to 5v5, but those aren’t the reasons Blizzard made Overwatch 2. Hero Mode could have been developed as a standalone spin-off game independent from Overwatch - and from the way Keller and Neuss describe things, it essentially was. New gameplay modes and updated visuals are the things people expect from sequels, but this wasn’t a case of the Overwatch team’s ambition outgrowing the platform. Blizzard decided Overwatch needed a sequel to revamp the monetization structure, and then it worked backwards from there to add the things that justify a sequel in the minds of players. This was always about the shop and selling cosmetics, not about Hero Mode or anything else.
I’ve already gone into depth about what a greedy, anti-player disaster Overwatch 2’s microtransactions are, but the short version for those unaware is that the sequel gutted the free currency and rewards that players were used to, replacing it with a more modern battle pass and cash shop for cosmetics. As an aging buy-to-play live-service shooter, Overwatch was under-monetized in Blizzard’s estimation. Overwatch 2 was a sensational way to bring players back and start charging them more, and that’s all there is to it.
I’m as disappointed as anyone to see Hero Mode canceled. I’ve been looking forward to seeing what else Blizzard could do with these beloved characters ever since I demoed the game at BlizzCon 2019. But I’m also surprised to see that we’re still litigating the legitimacy of Overwatch 2. Whether Blizzard finished Hero mode or decided to scrap it doesn’t change anything. There was never going to be a good enough justification for Overwatch 2 because its existence is a testament to careless corporate greed. Stop asking when they’re going to take the 2 off the title, and start worrying about when they’re going to change it to 3.