"Overwatch 2" and its multiple, constant delays are proving to be not so good for the developers - as it should be.
According to a report by IGN, the devs working on the game are "upset and annoyed" about the constant delays, which has pushed the game's release further and further back from its initial reveal at BlizzCon 2019.
This statement came from lead hero designer Jeff Goodman, who mentioned how their original plan to develop "Overwatch" and "Overwatch 2" alongside each other was affected by the delays. In an interview with USA Today, he said that the delays have made the "past couple of years" at Activision Blizzard worse.
"We talked about it (developing the two 'Overwatch' games side by side) way back. We talked about how we were going to, on the production side, develop 'Overwatch 2' alongside 'Overwatch.' Maybe we have to chill out on 'Overwatch' but that will let us come out with 'Overwatch 2' faster - ripping the band-aid off kind of deal. We lose some of the updates, but we get the big splash."
He furthers by saying that the delays had "a lot of reasons for it," and it wasn't just one thing. And most of the time, the delays were caused by production expenses.
But according to Goodman, the hardest of the game's delays was their inability to share ideas with players. He stated how the development team closed themselves off "a little bit" to work on the game, which made it difficult for their big ideas and changes to come to fruition.
Senior hero designer Brandon Brennan chips in, saying that the team is still keeping faith in the project's success - despite all of the legal issues that have been plaguing Activision Blizzard since last year.
"I'm ready for us to rise above what's happened and grow from it, don't turn the corner and turn a blind eye to it, just be better. Get these games into the players' hands and get them to be excited about something from us for once. I do think we're approaching that moment, it at least feels that way to me."
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A Look At 'Overwatch 2' Delays
As you should know, the sequel to Activision Blizzard's hero-based shooter was first announced way back in 2019. But since then, the game has had no definitive release dates; only vague release windows. The original release window was set this year, according to PCGamer, considering how it was in the early development stages when it was first revealed.
But then, the first major delay happened to say that "Overwatch 2" is now expected to launch in 2023. Much of this can be attributed to high-profile departures of the company's most experienced employees, including former "Overwatch" game director Jeff Kaplan.
Aside from that, some devs working on the game also accused CEO Bobby Kotick of "pushing random projects for OW1 then canceling them at the last minute," which cost the development team "months of work." This was according to "Overwatch 2" producer Tracy Kennedy on Twitter:
Bobby, tell everyone about the random projects for OW1 you all would shove on us, the team would do OT for only them to get cancelled and for months of OW2 dev to have been lost. Or how almost entire teams are turning over and citing you as the reason. Don't be shy. https://t.co/3ksVMMaCwf
— Tracy Kennedy (@JustLavaliere) January 19, 2022
This revelation comes after Kotick himself blamed the delays to declining Activision Blizzard stock, as reported by GamesRadar.
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Written by RJ Pierce
