2016's Overwatch didn't need a sequel, but that didn't stop Blizzard from announcing Overwatch 2 at BlizzCon in 2019 nor has it made fans any less excited. Unfortunately, since then, Overwatch 2 has been synonymous with delays.
The latest we've heard about Overwatch 2 is that the game might not come out until 2023, which is a long time to pass since its initial announcement. Although there has been plenty of speculation behind the delays, one producer has stepped out to name-drop the biggest contributor to the slow progress.
According to Overwatch producer Tracy Kennedy, Activision Blizzard's long-time CEO is the main reason. Kennedy revealed in a tweet that Kotick would bog down the development of Overwatch with random requests. At times, these tasks would take away the team's focus from Overwatch 2 for several months. To make matters worse, Kennedy pointed out that Kotick had a penchant for assigning impulse projects, only for the controversial CEO to cancel the project entirely for no reason.
Kennedy ends her scathing statement by describing Kotick as a "greedy joke", which isn't a good look after Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard earlier this week.
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 💙✊ (@dogspinster) January 19, 2022
Overwatch is one of Blizzard's newest IPs but it has quickly grown to become a fan favorite. Overwatch 2 would have exploded in popularity had Blizzard released the sequel during the pandemic. Unfortunately, this did not happen and there's no telling when exactly Overwatch 2 will come out of development. It's a shame that such a popular game has had to suffer through so much in little time. Perhaps Kotick's antics are also to blame for Jeff Kaplan's decision to leave Blizzard last year.
Ultimately, the future of Activision-Blizzard's biggest IPs is in the hands of Microsoft now. At least, as soon as the massive acquisition is finalized in 2023. Until then, Kotick expects to stay as the CEO of Activision-Blizzard with the company working independently until then, as he confirmed in a recent letter to employees.
Once Activision-Blizzard starts reporting to Xbox boss, Phil Spencer, we're hoping that things start changing for the better.
At the moment, Activision has several games in development with no proper release dates, including Diablo Immortal, Diablo 4, and Overwatch 2.
