Blizzard has announced that some of their games will be coming to Steam, with the first, Overwatch 2, launching on August 10th.
Overwatch 2 will be the first game to land on Steam. In the press release announcing the Steam support launch, Blizzard president Mike Ybarra announced that “a selection of our games” will eventually arrive on the platform, without giving any numbers or other potential titles.
“As a free-to-play, team-based game, we believe Overwatch 2 is the perfect title for Blizzard’s debut on the platform. Overwatch 2: Invasion is launching with more new types of gameplay experiences than at any point in the game’s storied 7-year history, including the first-ever set of PvE Story Missions, a new core PvP game mode with two new maps, and of course, a new hero. It’s a great opportunity for new players to enjoy their first experience of the Overwatch universe.”
Everyone who plays it on Steam will still need to have a Battle.net account, but if you already have a Battle.net account, you'll be able to play via Steam as well. The debut on Steam also allows new features like Steam achievements, and connection to your Steam friends list, where you can invite friends to matches.
Valve’s Gabe Newell says, “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.”
During negotiations on the subject of Microsoft potentially acquiring Activision Blizzard, a deal that just had its closure date postponed by several months, Microsoft offered various 10-year deals to keep Call of Duty on other platforms. At the time, Newell said such a deal wasn’t necessary with Valve.
You can already wishlist Overwatch 2 via its Steam page. As far as further game announcements, those will come “when the time is right”.
