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Overwatch celebrates its milestone 10th birthday next year, and Blizzard developers are making big promises about what's ahead.
When asked about what the team was most excited for in 2026, in a chat with Xbox Wire, Overwatch 2 devs said they're looking forward to deepening "the universe and lore surrounding our Heroes, moving beyond their functional roles in a game." Overwatch's ongoing story has only tiptoed forward - very slowly, I might add - since its debut, but the team is apparently "eager to take creative steps that will allow the game to lean further into storytelling and character development."
The emphasis on "storytelling" is so notable because, as you probably remember, Overwatch 2's co-op campaign was previously scrapped, despite being announced alongside the mode that arguably justified the sequel's existence in the first place.
Director Aaron Keller did admit that the studio "dropped the ball when it comes to story" last summer, and agreed that those sick animated shorts probably need to come back before Blizzard can say it's "firing on all cylinders." Maybe there's simply new animated content coming in 2026, but I have my fingers crossed for something a bit more involved dropping in the game proper.
"There's a real sense of momentum and optimism within the development team, and we believe 2026 will be a year where our boldest ideas come to life," the Xbox Wire statement continued, while pointing to this year's sweeping changes that included Perks and Stadium. "Inspired by the evolving landscape of the industry, we embraced the opportunity to take bold risks and focused on making impactful changes rather than playing it safe."
Keller also previously stated the team's annual strategy is to "start every year with a huge, game-defining moment and then follow it up with a big mid-year beat," so we probably won't need to wait much longer to see what dramatic changes are hitting Overwatch 2, if any.
In the meantime, check out the best FPS games you should play right now.
