It's true, most of the news related to Overwatch 2 is negative. It's unfortunate that such a beloved IP has now become synonymous with balancing and other multiplayer game related issues. However, what's worse is that fans of the series in China who will no longer be able to play Overwatch or any other Blizzard game, due to breakdown in license renewal talks with NetEase. It's an unfortunate situation for a fanbase that already has limited games to play, thanks to the government.
Chengdu Hunters Say Goodbye To Fans As Overwatch Goes Offline In China
Unfortunately, this negotiation failure doesn't just mean that fans won't be able to play the game. Esports teams that specialize in Overwatch also have no avenue to play the game anymore. It's not only Blizzard employees working in the country, but also anybody who worked with an esports team with a focus on Overwatch 2, like Chengdu Hunters.
Last week, as the game officially shut down in the country, the team shared a short message – "Goodbye and see you again." It also clarified that the message was regarding Overwatch 2 shutting down in China, and no other reason.
Overwatch League Still Has "Full Slate" Of Teams, Despite Closure In China
However, despite this, the Overwatch League hasn't really been affected by a lack of teams. This could suggest that the league has plans to include players based in China in some way.
"The League is making changes for the 2023 season and [I] can’t wait for it to start," says Brad Crawford, head of communications at Activision Blizzard Esports. "We have been working hard behind the scenes to iron out details and plan to share more with the community in the next couple of weeks." He also said that they are "looking forward to OWL's sixth season where we expect a full slate of teams from the East and West."
Players Say Orisa Requires The Least Skill To Master
Meanwhile, those who can still play the game have continued their discussions. Thankfully, this time the discussion wasn't about any issues faced by the players, but about which of the Heroes requires the least skill to master – Orisa got the most amount of mentions.
"I’ve been grinding competitively as Orisa [by] holding down left click," says Reddit user Main-Sir6307. "I climbed from Bronze 3 to Platinum 2 in a little less than two weeks, and this is my first time ever playing Overwatch...Is there an easier hero?" Others seemed to agree, especially mentioning her javelin, which some felt is OP.
Latest Patch Nerfs Roadhog, Sojourn, Orisa, And Kiriko
Unfortunately for some mains, the latest patch for Overwatch 2 introduced a whole series of nerfs. Roadhog, Sojourn, Orisa, and Kiriko, all saw their damage numbers go down as a result of the latest patch.
Roadhog especially required a nerf, as his Chain Hook ability allowed him to possibly one-shot certain Heroes. The impact damage of the ability has now been reduced from 30 to 5, and distance between after an opponent has been hooked has been increased from 3 to 4 meters.