Overwatch 2 is making a big jump over to Steam on August 10, Blizzard has announced. Furthermore, it will be followed by a selection of Blizzard games migrating to the storefront for the first time.
In a blog post, Blizzard explains it wants to expand its reach to players beyond its proprietary PC launcher. It believes the free-to-play Overwatch 2 is the best game to kick off this major shift in its PC release strategy. There’s currently no word on what other Blizzard games are coming to Steam, but the publisher says it will announce them “when the time is right.”
“Battle.net is the home of all our PC players, and over the years, we’ve evolved our platform to support updated technologies, capabilities, and our communities’ expectations. But as we’ve evolved, the industry has evolved too–gaming is no longer just for specific communities as it was when Battle.net launched over two decades ago, gaming is for everyone–and though we remain committed to continually investing in and supporting Battle.net, we want to break down the barriers to make it easier for players everywhere to find and enjoy our games.”
Though you’ll still need a Battle.net account to play Overwatch 2 on Steam (as you do on all platforms), it will run directly through the storefront instead of simply acting as a middle-man launch Battle.net, as confirmed by Blizzard president Mike Ybarra on Twitter. Thus, players will have access to the features of Battle.Net, such as cross-play, but will reap the benefits of Steam, such as earning achievements. Blizzard states this move will not affect those who still choose to play Overwatch 2 through Battle.net.
This is good news for Steam users interested in Overwatch 2 as they won’t have to worry about downloading another PC launcher to play it. The same is true for PC players who have eyed Blizzard’s catalog as a whole, as they have only been accessible through its storefront. We’re curious to see what other games make the jump; Diablo IV or World of Warcraft, perhaps? We’ll just have to wait and see.
For more on Overwatch 2, you can check out our hands-on impressions of its upcoming PvE story missions.
