Before its dedicated event on June 16th, the Overwatch 2 team kicked things off early at the Xbox-Bethesda Showcase by announcing an early access launch for the sequel. It starts on October 4th and is free-to-play. Though Blizzard initially announced Xbox platforms and PC for the same, new press release confirmed that it’s coming to PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch as well.
It also confirmed that the hero shooter would have cross-platform play and cross-platform progression. “Premium cosmetics” were also indicated for its new “free-to-play model,” which seems in line with Battle Pass reports over the past few months. As such, the first game also has premium cosmetics that could be purchased with real money without RNG.
It remains to be seen if the loot box model is dead and buried with Overwatch 2. Blizzard has promised more details on the recently revealed Junker Queen, the sequel’s live service model and seasonal content plan, and the next phase of closed beta testing on June 16th at 10 AM PDT. Stay tuned in the meantime for more details.