Overwatch 2 has cancelled its highly-anticipated Hero Missions PvE mode, officially making it the most pointless video game sequel ever made. In an industry filled with bad sequels, making one feel pointless would take an amazing amount of disappointment from the publisher but the folks at Activision Blizzard found a way.
A developer livestream by Executive Producer Jared Neuss confirmed that Hero Missions would not be coming to the game. Neuss said that this was an immense disappointment for them since they’d been working on this for years.
“With everything we’ve learned about what it takes to operate this game at the level you deserve, it’s clear that we can’t deliver on that original vision for PvE that was shown in 2019,” Neuss said. “So, what that means is that we won’t be delivering that dedicated Hero mode with talent trees, that long-term progression… Those things just aren’t in our plans anymore.”
This is obviously a huge disappointment to fans, as Hero Missions was the biggest selling point the sequel had. Hero Missions was supposed to give players the story content they have been craving since the first game. Fans were also teased with upgrades and skill trees that would have made their heroes feel even more powerful.
Now, all of that promise for Overwatch 2 is gone, and fans are stuck with a much worse version of the first game. Sure, there are more characters to play as and the gameplay is still fun, but it just doesn’t feel like a sequel anymore. Add the fact that greedy lootboxes were replaced with greedier Battle Passes and you have a whole bunch of issues.
What’s worse is fans can’t even go back to the first Overwatch anymore, as Activision Blizzard has turned all copies of that game into Overwatch 2. This means your fancy PS4 or Xbox One disc with cover art for the first game will immediately turn into its less impressive and much greedier sequel.
Bioshock 2 might be lazy for reusing the same assets from the first game but it tried to tell a new story. Devil May Cry 2 may have been too easy and have pointlessly long levels but future sequels learned from its mistakes. Batman: Arkham Origins doesn't add much new to the Arkham formula but its boss fights are fun and the game has a unique art style.
The three games listed above are "bad sequels" but they aren't pointless for existing. Overwatch 2 is and that's an amazing mark of failure.
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If we’re being technical about it, Overwatch 2 is still a “good” game that’s readily available and anyone can try it since the shooter is Free-to-Play. But the fact that Activision Blizzard dangled Hero Missions in front of fans for years only to take it away is infuriating.