Overwatch 1 has officially shut down, though Blizzard did not offer much fanfare for the game's final moments.
In-game, Overwatch 1's final moments were marked by two official system messages. One said "Even the best journeys end, but a new one is right around the corner. Thank you, heroes! See you October 4th!" Another said, more succinctly, simply "see you on the other side."
The game reverted to the original Overwatch hero screen, though you'd get the bonus of a dramatic close-up of Roadhog's belly when you hit the 'play' button. Of course, any attempt to connect to the servers now simply results in a connection error.
While I'd thought the "see you October 4th" message and original heroes lobby art was the perfect way to send off OW1, this zoomed-in Roadhog belly image coming up for "Play" after new matches were disabled may be even better.#SeeYouOnTheOtherSide pic.twitter.com/9ALX5WUV7mOctober 3, 2022
While it's not a big send-off for a game that's been running over six years, players are still taking the opportunity to say goodbye to Overwatch and, of course, share clips of their final moments in the game.
the_last_clip_i_got_on_ow1_worth_itfrom r/Overwatch
goodbye overwatch, old friend #SeeYouOnTheOtherSide pic.twitter.com/5YYPPMRn1HOctober 3, 2022
It’s gone #Overwatch #Overwatch2 pic.twitter.com/p8Kz60F4TOOctober 3, 2022
It happened... I cried and died inside... Thank you all for the memories... Especially for those that played with me. #SeeYouOnTheOtherSide #Overwatch pic.twitter.com/G132YFdtBxOctober 3, 2022
Fans have been paying tribute to their memories of the original Overwatch even before it officially shut down, and that includes our own resident shooter expert Alyssa Mercante, who penned an extensive eulogy for Overwatch 1 as we prepare for the launch of Overwatch 2.
We're living in an Overwatch-free world for a bit as we count down to the Overwatch 2 launch time and, of course, there's been plenty of trepidation about the sequel. Veteran players will now have to work through the battle pass to unlock new heroes, and new players will also have to put in some time to get at the full Overwatch 2 hero list.
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