In a bold new step for Blizzard, Overwatch 2 is set to be the first of a select few titles making the jump from the studio’s own Battle.net launcher to Valve’s Steam platform on PC.
Since its inception in the late 1990s, Battle.net has been the home for Blizzard titles on PC. Regardless of whether you were venturing through nightmarish dungeons in Diablo, Zerg-rushing enemy bases in StarCraft, or idolizing Leeroy Jenkins while your WoW guild strategized in a raid, it all took place on Battle.net.
Every Blizzard title since, including more recent additions like Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Overwatch, have been exclusively available on PC through the Battle.net launcher. Though the trend is finally set to change.
As announced in a July 19 blog post, Blizzard has turned a new page. The beloved studio is now set to pivot and support a select batch of its most popular titles on Steam as well, with Overwatch 2 the first to jump across on August 10.
“As we’ve evolved, the industry has evolved too,” Blizzard addressed in the recent announcement. “Gaming is no longer just for specific communities as it was when Battle.net launched over two decades ago, gaming is for everyone.”
As a result, the team is looking to “break down barriers” by letting some of its key franchises blossom on other storefronts than just Battle.net.
It all starts later this year as Overwatch 2 is locked in for a Steam release on August 10, coinciding with its blockbuster Season 6: Invasion release, marking the debut of a new hero, the launch of PVE content, and even comes bundled with a new core game mode, Flashpoint.
As you might expect, this version of Overwatch 2 on Steam will support all the usual accouterments. Steam achievements, Steam friends list, and naturally, the functionality of inviting or joining friends directly through Steam, will all be there when the hit hero shooter jumps across next month.
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The only caveat, as with every other platform, Overwatch 2 players will still need to connect to a Battle.net account. This ensures cross-progression functionality, tracking all your progress in one dedicated space.
“While Battle.net remains a priority for us now and into the future, we’ve heard players want the choice of Steam for a selection of our games,” Blizzard President Mike Ybarra said in the blog post.
“We’re happy to work with Valve to make that happen.”
“Gamers and developers are both going to benefit from Overwatch 2 coming to Steam,” Valve President Gabe Newell added. “Gamers will have another platform where they can play a beloved game that utilizes the capabilities of Steam, and developers will benefit from the effects of having the talented team at Blizzard helping us evolve our supported features and functionality for Overwatch 2.”
At the time of writing, it’s unclear exactly what this new step may mean in terms of mod support. Given the existing Workshop mode in Overwatch 2 today, external mod support through Steam could be limited, but we’ll have to wait for confirmation on that end.
For now, Overwatch 2 locking in an August 10 release on Steam marks a historic first step for Blizzard on PC, though it’s worth reiterating this is just that, a first step.
“A selection of other games” will also be making their way to Steam “when the time is right,” Blizzard confirmed in the blog post. Exactly what title may come next remains anyone’s guess for now.
