Blizzard Entertainment's Overwatch 2 is launching on October 4th in early access, but one of its players is experiencing a foreboding visual bug that has some unfortunate implications. Though the sequel to Blizzard's youngest intellectual property has had its share of controversies and staff departures, Overwatch 2 is meeting its release window with steady pace, upon which Overwatch's servers will shut down and be replaced by the sequel game. Overwatch players who had gathered entire sets of cosmetics during its run need not worry, as they will fully carry over into Overwatch 2 at launch.
Contrary to player hopes, Overwatch 2 did not go through with a third open beta, as Blizzard Entertainment believes that it has gathered the necessary data they needed to polish up the game, adjust hero balance, and make sure Overwatch 2 has a smooth launch in October. In lieu of an open beta, players can spend their September giving a final farewell to the original game, as Overwatch's last event unlocks cosmetics as a direct purchase for credits. When this event ends, so does Overwatch – the servers will shut down, and the 6 vs. 6 era of Blizzard's hero shooter will officially close.
For one Overwatch player, however, it would seem the end is coming early – as Reddit user Hannon posted a video of their Overwatch match during which parts of the Blizzard World hybrid map failed to render, resulting in a disturbing, ever-expanding black hole. While the servers being shut down will not be so stylistically dramatic and theatrical, one can't help but appreciate the visual parallel to the impending end of Overwatch on October 2nd.
The implications of this visual glitch are severe, less so about the state of the game, but rather about the state of Hannon's graphics card. Visual glitches of this category are quite common when one's graphics card is either overheating or entering the final stage of its life. With Nvidia releasing the next-gen RTX 4000 series, it might not be a bad time to upgrade to either the latest graphics cards or to snag an older generation at a more affordable cost.
Overwatch 2 will usher in a new chapter for this multiplayer franchise, but players will ultimately have to wait till 2023 for the co-op campaign of Overwatch 2 due to unexpected delays. Until then, players will be able to enjoy this free-to-play title, featuring a revamped 5 vs. 5 game mode, several new heroes, and a collection of new maps.
Overwatch 2 releases in early access on October 4 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.