When it came to a sequel it is reasonable to assume that the team focused on competitive play from the beginning of development, having learned from the original. What began as a cute character-based shooter with a wide appeal to casual players, became a faster and more lethal game designed for competition above all else.
Characters were given buffs or nerfs based on the competitive meta the team saw in professional play, seemingly putting more focus on the opinions of pro players when it came to balancing Overwatch. After the creation of the Overwatch League, the development team started patching the game with competitive play in mind. The professional side of the game has a long history of ups and downs. Who is Overwatch 2 for? - In the same Kotaku interview, Kaplan explained the team’s reason for merging the services in the future: “We think this is important, especially as a competitive experience.” Kaplan was referring to the Overwatch League, the official competitive scene for the hero shooter. Games like Valorant have overshadowed Overwatch in recent years. Later in the same month, as the Blizzcon reveal, Kaplan revealed to Kotaku that “there will be a point where the clients merge.” Of course, nobody expected that this would mean the original Overwatch would have the plug pulled as soon as its prettier replacement arrived.
What is the point of a full sequel then? Why not just continue to update the base game with new content? Kaplan (who left Blizzard in 2021) answered this by saying those who did get Overwatch 2 would mostly benefit from the graphical improvement that a new title offered as well as exclusive access to a plethora of PvE modes that would be added in the sequel. It will be a shared multiplayer environment where no one gets left behind.” And you will get to play with all of the same heroes as Overwatch 2 players. “For all original players of Overwatch, players of the current Overwatch game, you will get to play on all of the same maps as Overwatch 2 players, including all of the brand new maps that are coming to Overwatch 2. Why would a live-service game need a sequel, and what would this mean for people playing the original Overwatch? Jeff Kaplan, the series creator, made promises to fans during the game’s reveal at Blizzcon 2019 that the team wasn’t going to make the game obsolete. The initial announcement of the sequel felt a bit confusing.