<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2022	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
game	O
by	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
sequel	O
and	O
replacement	O
to	O
the	O
2016	O
hero	O
shooter	O
Overwatch	B-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
intends	O
a	O
shared	O
environment	O
for	O
player-versus-player	O
(	O
PvP	O
)	O
modes	O
while	O
introducing	O
persistent	O
cooperative	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
free-to-play	O
on	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X/S	I-Device
in	O
early	O
access	O
on	O
October	O
4	O
and	O
features	O
full	O
cross-platform	B-Application
play	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
a	O
hero	O
shooter	O
,	O
where	O
players	O
are	O
split	O
into	O
two	O
teams	O
and	O
select	O
a	O
"	O
hero	O
"	O
from	O
a	O
roster	O
of	O
35	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
like	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
primarily	O
centers	O
on	O
player	O
versus	O
player	O
(	O
PvP	O
)	O
combat	O
across	O
several	O
different	O
modes	O
and	O
maps	O
,	O
and	O
includes	O
both	O
casual	O
and	O
ranked	O
competitive	O
matches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
Overwatch	B-Application
was	O
designed	O
for	O
six-on-six	O
team	O
combat	O
,	O
with	O
two	O
of	O
each	O
class	O
on	O
a	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
tank	O
slots	O
was	O
reduced	O
by	O
one	O
,	O
bringing	O
the	O
total	O
number	O
of	O
players	O
per	O
team	O
to	O
five	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
includes	O
a	O
ping	O
system	O
to	O
direct	O
the	O
attention	O
of	O
teammates	O
to	O
specific	O
points	O
on	O
the	O
map	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
being	O
incorporated	O
into	O
Unranked	O
and	O
Competitive	O
play	O
,	O
Push	O
has	O
become	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
standard	O
map	O
rotation	O
of	O
the	O
Overwatch	B-Application
League	O
,	O
replacing	O
the	O
Assault	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
existing	O
gameplay	O
modes	O
may	O
be	O
dropped	O
in	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
;	O
former	O
game	O
director	O
Jeff	O
Kaplan	O
has	O
stated	O
that	O
some	O
Assault	O
maps	O
(	O
colloquially	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
2CP	O
"	O
,	O
meaning	O
"	O
two	O
control	O
points	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Paris	O
and	O
Horizon	O
Lunar	O
Colony	O
,	O
will	O
likely	O
not	O
be	O
available	O
in	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
as	O
these	O
have	O
been	O
deemed	O
unbalanced	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
community	O
feedback	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
least	O
two	O
PvE	O
modes	O
;	O
a	O
story-based	O
mission	O
mode	O
,	O
where	O
players	O
are	O
limited	O
to	O
their	O
hero	O
selection	O
in	O
replaying	O
missions	O
based	O
on	O
Overwatch	B-Application
lore	O
,	O
and	O
Hero	O
missions	O
which	O
allow	O
all	O
heroes	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
fending	O
off	O
waves	O
of	O
enemies	O
at	O
various	O
locations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
anticipates	O
that	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
will	O
offer	O
over	O
100	O
different	O
PvE	O
missions	O
,	O
utilizing	O
new	O
maps	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
existing	O
multiplayer	O
maps	O
expanded	O
out	O
to	O
include	O
new	O
areas	O
,	O
and	O
adding	O
in	O
dynamic	O
effects	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
day	O
and	O
night	O
times	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
varying	O
weather	O
conditions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
released	O
as	O
free-to-play	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
the	O
premium	O
monetization	O
model	O
of	O
its	O
predecessor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Blizzard	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
account	O
is	O
required	O
to	O
play	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
regardless	O
of	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
features	O
cross-progression	O
,	O
with	O
in-game	O
cosmetic	O
items	O
and	O
progress	O
being	O
shared	O
across	O
PC	O
and	O
console	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlocked	O
cosmetic	O
items	O
,	O
in-game	O
currency	O
,	O
and	O
player	O
statistics	O
from	O
any	O
Overwatch	B-Application
profile	O
linked	O
to	O
such	O
an	O
account	O
are	O
merged	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
available	O
on	O
all	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
at	O
BlizzCon	O
on	O
November	O
1	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
with	O
plans	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
maintain	O
a	O
"	O
shared	O
multiplayer	O
environment	O
"	O
between	O
it	O
and	O
the	O
original	O
Overwatch	B-Application
,	O
so	O
that	O
players	O
in	O
either	O
game	O
could	O
compete	O
in	O
the	O
existing	O
player	O
versus	O
player	O
(	O
PvP	O
)	O
game	O
modes	O
,	O
retaining	O
all	O
unlocked	O
cosmetics	O
and	O
other	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jeff	O
Kaplan	O
,	O
director	O
for	O
Overwatch	B-Application
,	O
explained	O
that	O
this	O
was	O
a	O
major	O
decision	O
and	O
that	O
he	O
had	O
to	O
justify	O
this	O
"	O
player-first	O
standpoint	O
"	O
to	O
Blizzard	O
executives	O
,	O
given	O
the	O
current	O
industry	O
trend	O
to	O
draw	O
in	O
new	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
later	O
announced	O
as	O
a	O
free-to-play	O
title	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
on	O
its	O
release	O
on	O
October	O
4	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
affirmed	O
that	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
live	O
services	O
would	O
replace	O
those	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
;	O
the	O
original	O
Overwatch	B-Application
servers	O
would	O
be	O
shut	O
down	O
on	O
October	O
2	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
retained	O
their	O
existing	O
cosmetics	O
and	O
in-game	O
currency	O
,	O
with	O
remaining	O
loot	O
boxes	O
opened	O
automatically	O
upon	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
least	O
three	O
new	O
heroes	O
were	O
announced	O
to	O
be	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
roster	O
,	O
including	O
Sojourn	O
,	O
a	O
Canadian	O
Overwatch	B-Application
officer	O
,	O
Junker	O
Queen	O
,	O
the	O
ruler	O
of	O
Junkertown	O
,	O
and	O
Kiriko	O
,	O
the	O
protector	O
of	O
Kanezaka	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
runs	O
on	O
an	O
upgraded	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
's	O
engine	O
which	O
allows	O
for	O
larger	O
map	O
sizes	O
to	O
better	O
support	O
the	O
new	O
story-based	O
PvE	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
existing	O
heroes	O
received	O
visual	O
redesigns	O
for	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
although	O
Blizzard	O
did	O
not	O
expect	O
every	O
hero	O
to	O
have	O
their	O
redesigns	O
finished	O
when	O
the	O
game	O
launched	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Twelve	O
of	O
the	O
existing	O
31	O
redesigns	O
were	O
completed	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2s	I-Application
reveal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
released	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X/S	I-Device
in	O
early	O
access	O
on	O
October	O
4	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kaplan	O
anticipated	O
that	O
Overwatch	B-Application
and	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
will	O
ultimately	O
merge	O
into	O
a	O
single	O
product	O
to	O
avoid	O
having	O
any	O
engine	O
differences	O
affecting	O
player	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Technical	O
director	O
John	O
Lafleur	O
has	O
stated	O
they	O
are	O
also	O
interested	O
in	O
supporting	O
,	O
at	O
minimum	O
,	O
cross-platform	O
progression	O
and	O
are	O
looking	O
at	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
cross-platform	B-Application
play	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2022	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
stated	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
put	O
too	O
much	O
focus	O
on	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
over	O
the	O
past	O
few	O
years	O
to	O
the	O
detriment	O
of	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
so	O
changed	O
plans	O
to	O
release	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
in	O
parts	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
PvP	O
portion	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
beta	O
form	O
starting	O
in	O
April	O
2022	O
and	O
the	O
PvE	O
part	O
to	O
come	O
at	O
a	O
later	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
would	O
allow	O
them	O
to	O
also	O
continue	O
to	O
support	O
Overwatch	B-Application
alongside	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
first	O
wave	O
of	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
invitation-only	O
betas	O
would	O
begin	O
on	O
April	O
26	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
and	O
end	O
on	O
May	O
17	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
without	O
its	O
PVE	O
mode	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
early	O
access	O
on	O
October	O
4	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
for	O
Windows	O
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
5	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
Series	B-Device
X/S	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
efforts	O
to	O
reduce	O
smurfing	O
,	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
new	O
accounts	O
by	O
experienced	O
players	O
as	O
to	O
try	O
to	O
game	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
required	O
all	O
players	O
to	O
confirm	O
their	O
identity	O
through	O
a	O
SMS	B-Device
message	O
on	O
their	O
cell	O
phone	O
linked	O
to	O
their	O
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
many	O
with	O
prepaid	O
cellular	O
plans	O
,	O
particularly	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
they	O
cannot	O
use	O
SMS	B-Device
on	O
their	O
plans	O
,	O
and	O
effectively	O
locked	O
them	O
out	O
of	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
though	O
Blizzard	O
stated	O
they	O
were	O
working	O
to	O
resolve	O
that	O
issue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
October	O
7	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
removed	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
verify	O
one	O
's	O
identity	O
for	O
those	O
that	O
had	O
played	O
Overwatch	B-Application
since	O
at	O
least	O
June	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
"	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
upon	O
release	O
according	O
to	O
review	O
aggregator	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Colp	O
added	O
,	O
"	O
the	O
original	O
Overwatch	B-Application
is	O
still	O
in	O
there	O
,	O
bruised	O
and	O
broken	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
weight	O
of	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
commercial	O
and	O
competitive	O
expectations	O
keeps	O
piling	O
up.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
5v5	O
gameplay	O
dynamic	O
,	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
its	O
predecessor	O
's	O
6v6	O
dynamic	O
,	O
IGNs	O
Simon	O
Cardy	O
wrote	O
:	O
"	O
it	O
fully	O
drags	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
out	O
of	O
the	O
stagnant	O
meta	O
swamp	O
its	O
predecessor	O
found	O
itself	O
in	O
over	O
the	O
past	O
couple	O
of	O
years	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
denies	O
itself	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
lustre	O
of	O
its	O
satisfying	O
team	O
play.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Cardy	O
also	O
wrote	O
"	O
if	O
the	O
pertinent	O
question	O
to	O
ask	O
about	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
simply	O
if	O
it	O
's	O
a	O
fun	O
game	O
,	O
then	O
the	O
answer	O
right	O
now	O
is	O
yes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jessica	O
Howard	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
takes	O
the	O
franchise	O
from	O
a	O
genre-defining	O
shooter	O
to	O
a	O
trend-chasing	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chris	O
Carter	O
of	O
Destructoid	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
does	O
n't	O
have	O
the	O
same	O
cachet	O
that	O
Overwatch	B-Application
1	O
did	O
,	O
but	O
I	O
can	O
still	O
see	O
myself	O
jumping	O
in	O
for	O
a	O
few	O
matches	O
after	O
a	O
long	O
evening	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
reveals	O
so	O
much	O
criticism	O
of	O
the	O
battle	O
passes	O
,	O
from	O
cries	O
of	O
pay	O
to	O
win	O
to	O
complaints	O
about	O
the	O
grind	B-Application
before	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
even	O
dropped	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
criticism	O
was	O
levied	O
at	O
both	O
the	O
pricing	O
of	O
cosmetic	O
items	O
found	O
with	O
the	O
in-game	O
shop	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
time	O
it	O
would	O
take	O
to	O
unlock	O
cosmetics	O
solely	O
through	O
grinding	B-Application
for	O
those	O
players	O
who	O
opt	O
not	O
to	O
using	O
real	O
money	O
within	O
the	O
shop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
35	O
million	O
users	O
played	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
in	O
its	O
first	O
month	O
of	O
release	O
in	O
early	O
access	O
,	O
compared	O
to	O
Overwatch	B-Application
which	O
had	O
only	O
15	O
million	O
players	O
three	O
months	O
after	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
