Overwatch Switch release date set for October 15

Update: It's official, Overwatch is coming to Nintendo Switch, and you won't have to wait long. Blizzard's online shooter is coming to the home-handheld hybrid on October 15, and it will even support motion controls for controlling Junkrat's tire, Wrecking Ball's ball, and even Widowmaker's scope.

Original story: After an officially licensed Switch carry case seemingly outed the existence of Overwatch, Blizzard's popular hero shooter, for Nintendo's portable/home hybrid console, a previous retail leak that has surfaced back online seems to confirm the game will be releasing on October 18 this year, in a little over a month's time. 

With that in mind, it's likely that we'll see an announcement from Blizzard during today's Nintendo Direct live stream, which has promised over 40 minutes of news on the biggest upcoming Switch games (including Pokemon Sword and Shield and Animal Crossing: New Horizons), in addition to a few surprises. 

As seen from the leaked photo above, which accurately predicted the release date for the new Plants vs. Zombies games, lending it an extra air of legitimacy, Overwatch is scheduled to launch on Nintendo Switch this October, which is just a month or so before this year's BlizzCon expo in Anaheim, California. 

Incidentally, a previous rumour suggests Blizzard is getting ready to reveal Overwatch 2, or some sort of PvE focused spin-off in the series, at that very convention in November, so perhaps this Switch release is being used to build momentum in the lead up. 

In any case, Blizzard fans ought to watch closely to today's Nintendo Direct.... that is, if they can pry themselves away from queuing up in-game to kill the next boss in World of Warcraft Classic. 

For more, check out all the best Switch exclusives to play right now, or watch our Release Radar below for a guide to everything else out this week.