Has Overwatch Finally Managed To Exorcise Its Demons?

Overwatch has had a rollercoaster few years. The original game boasted tens of millions of monthly players. But, the release of Overwatch 2 in 2022 saw a serious dip in player numbers. And player trust. Blizzard had promised an immersive PvE experience, which never materialised. So, despite going free-to-play, it haemorrhaged players. Even its eSports popularity dwindled.

But, Blizzard has made improvements over the past 12 months, culminating in a massive update at the beginning of February. And, it appears to have had the desired effect – bringing players back in droves. So, what’s changed?

What’s New In Overwatch: Reign Of Talon?

I wanted to write “What’s New In Overwatch 2?” – it rhymes, it scans nicely, it’s the perfect header. But one of the first changes is that Blizzard (???) has dropped the 2. Overwatch 2 is now Overwatch.

On the face of it, it might seem an insignificant change. Cosmetic even. But that’s not the case. It’s significant. Overwatch 2 was not well-received. Players were displeased with the “sequel”  – the replayable PvE story was branded boring, and players didn’t like the addition of pay-to-play heroes or the removal of certain game types.

In fact, Blizzard spent the next few updates backpedalling on a lot of its earlier changes. Heroes became free-to-play. Loot boxes returned. But players remained a little more elusive.

2025 represented a turning point. Perks, introduced in February, introduced mid-match progressive upgrades. April’s stadium mode brought a degree of hero customisation that had been promised with the original update.

Perks saw a bump in concurrent Steam player count, which reached almost 60,000. Stadium’s launch pushed it a little higher, and player count tipped the scales at 70,000, its highest in a year and second highest since release. Blizzard was on the right track.

“A Multi-Faceted, Fully-Connected Story”

But 2025’s changes were nothing compared to the Great Update of 2026. As Blizzard itself put it, “For the first time in Overwatch history, we’re telling a multi-faceted, fully-connected story across the entire year.”

Now, we’ve all read patch notes that promise the world and deliver nothing. But the Great Update of 2026 is different.

Starting with The Reign of Talon, launched on February 10, Overwatch would see a new storyline arc every year. Each arc will consist of around half a dozen subplots, or seasons, and introduce new heroes, maps, and other content.

Effectively, Blizzard has turned Overwatch into a live game and, in so doing, eliminated the likelihood of sequels. In Blizzard’s eyes, this rendered the number 2 useless. And so, it was dropped.

But, the developers haven’t forgotten the game’s roots. Or its earlier failings.

“Before you jump into Season 1, here’s a quick mission debrief to get you up to speed if that vacation away from Overwatch ended up lasting longer than Ana’s retirement in Fiji.”

As well as returning heroes Illari, Mauga, Venture, Juno, Hazard, Freja, Wuyang, and Vendetta, Season 1: Conquest has also introduced five new playable heroes.

While Domina is the headliner, it’s another hero that has captured players’ attention. Jetpack Cat is a quirky addition to the lineup. And another nod to the game’s earlier failings.

Jetpack Cat

Originally rumoured and prepared for the original game, ten years ago, Jetpack Cat has finally made her debut. However, she was deemed too ludicrous to be added. Players have called for her inclusion for years, and it has finally come to pass.

Five more playable heroes will launch across the rest of the year, along with new maps and storyline progression.

What Else Is New In Overwatch (2)?

The Great Update also brought a raft of other changes. The UI hadn’t really changed since the game’s introduction and felt “a bit dated”. Lobbies, play cards, navigation, and hero galleries have been updated. Players can now praise one another with new voice-over lines.

And, later this year, the praising system will be further supplemented by the reintroduction of Post Match Accolades. Another feature players have been begging for, and another sign that the devs are listening.

We should also expect a ton of collaborations. The current Overwatch x Hello Kitty & Friends collaboration has introduced six new Hero skins, and we can expect much of the same in future updates.

There’s also an update for the eSports competitive community. The Overwatch Champions Series is underway with a Bootcamp, with a full launch slated for March 21, culminating in a World Finals in China. Interested teams can register for the Champions Series now.

The Overwatch World Cup is also set for a return – the final will take place during September’s BlizzCon.  

Has Reign Of Talon Helped Overwatch Player Numbers?

On the face of it, Blizzard has done everything right, but are impressive updates and dumping a number 2 enough to assuage player fears?

Blizzard announced the big update on February 4 when the game had a player count of around 40,000.

A day later, still 5 days before the actual launch, player count hit 57,000.

On February 8, it was 70,000.

On the day of the big launch, that count shot up to 165,000.

It has levelled out, now, at around 115,000.

It’s worth noting that this is only the player count on Steam. Blizzard has said considerably more people play on Battle.net than on Steam. The game is also available on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch, so the actual player number is much, much higher.

While Blizzard hasn’t necessarily delivered on the previous promise of an immersive P2E experience, it has fleshed out the game in a meaningful way. And, in the process, it has gone a long way to exorcise Overwatch’s demons.