Overwatch 2 coming this October and will be free-to-play

After many delays, Overwatch 2 has a release date. Blizzard's sequel will launch on October 4th - and it'll have a new free-to-play model when it does.

Here's a trailer announcing the release date:

Overwatch 2 was initially meant to ship with a singleplayer component, but that was delayed last year and separated from the multiplayer experience that formed the core of the first game. Now Blizzard's announcement post describes Overwatch 2 as an "always-evolving live service" with a "new, free-to-play model."

The post doesn't explain what exactly players will need to pay for, though if you already own Overwatch you'll get access to a "Founder's Pack" in the sequel. This includes "two epic skins and an exclusive founder’s icon, along with a surprise gift that will be announced before the game’s October 4 release."

At tonight's Xbox conference, Blizzard also introduced a new Overwatch 2 hero, Junker Queen, a tank-class character who has been teased within Overwatch for years. She's "a high-mobility and railgun-wielding former Overwatch captain with cybernetic capabilities." Overwatch 2 also adds new maps and modes to the shooter, with some yet to be seen.

Ed and Liam gave Overwatch 2's recent beta a whirl and thought it was too much like the original even for a sequel. There are more beta events planned for later in June.

Blizzard Entertainment parent company Activision Blizzard are currently the focus of several lawsuits which allege that Blizzard has a toxic workplace culture. Microsoft are also currently in the process of buying Activision Blizzard for $69 billion.

Not E3 2022 is in full-swing - see everything in our E3 2022 hub, as well as our complete round-up of everything announced at Summer Game Fest 2022. Many more big game showcases and streams are still to come this summer, so make sure you stay up to date with our summer games stream schedule.