The release dates of Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 have been postponed again. Here, we show you what Blizzard says about the two big games.
The bad news surrounding Blizzard simply doesn’t stop. Even when focusing solely on the major Blizzard games that are supposed to be released in the coming years, the issues persist.
Blizzard postponed the release dates of Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV to an unknown date.
What was said? In the latest “Investor Earnings Call,” Blizzard revealed some details regarding the future of the company. The discussion focused on the content pipeline, namely the planned content for the upcoming year. It states:
As we have worked with new leadership in Blizzard and the franchises, particularly in some key creative roles, it has become clear that some of the planned Blizzard content for the upcoming year needs more development time to reach its full potential. While we continue to plan to release a significant amount of content next year, we are now planning for a later launch than originally planned for Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV.
Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV were meant to be the next two “big things” from Blizzard, the top releases that millions of fans are waiting for.
The extended waiting time is likely to have negative financial and reputational consequences for Blizzard.
Why were the games postponed? Apparently, they are not satisfied with the current state of the games and cannot meet the targeted release dates. It further states:
These are two of the most eagerly anticipated titles in the industry, and our teams have made significant progress in recent quarters regarding the completion. However, we believe that if we give the teams a bit more time and continue to increase their creative resources to support the games post-launch, it will ensure community satisfaction and interest for many years to come.
Consequently, the upcoming financial year for Blizzard is likely not going to look as good as previously planned. However, they are confident that these decisions are the right ones for the “long-term success of the franchises.”
When are the new dates? Since there have been no confirmed dates for Overwatch 2 or Diablo IV yet, it is difficult to speak of “new” dates. However, both Blizzard and the community had largely assumed that both games would be released sometime in 2022.
The announcement of a postponement now makes it very unlikely that 2022 will still be targeted. Therefore, no one should expect major new titles in the coming year.
What do you think of the postponement? A good thing if it serves the quality of the games? Or are you just frustrated because “Blizzard can’t get it right again”?
