Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 pushed out of 2022 so they reach their "full potential"

News
By published

It sounds like both titles were originally planned to launch next year

Overwatch 2
(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Activision Blizzard has pushed Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 out of its 2022 release schedule.

The company hadn't set a firm release date for Overwatch 2 or Diablo 4, but during its quarterly earnings call today, it's suggested that both games were originally planned to launch next year, but will now need a little more time in the oven.

"As we have worked with new leadership in Blizzard and within the franchises themselves, particularly in certain key creative roles, it has become apparent that some of the Blizzard content planned for next year will benefit from more development time to reach its full potential," reads a portion of Activison's presentation.

While we are still planning to deliver a substantial amount of content from Blizzard next year, we are now planning for a later launch for Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 than originally envisaged."

Neither game has a new release date or window, but it's now clear that 2022 is out of the question in both cases. Activision suggests that's because of recent changes in leadership at Blizzard and its parent company, which made it "apparent that some of the Blizzard content planned for next year will benefit from more development time to reach its full potential."

For those waiting for Diablo 4, this probably isn't terribly shocking, as Blizzard has made it clear that it's still pretty early in development. It's a little more surprising to see Overwatch 2 delayed past 2022. Following executive producer Chacko Sonny's departure from the studio in September, Blizzard said in a statement that "the game is in the final stages of production."

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.